Stalin calls all-party meeting on April 9 after Centre rejects TN's NEET exemption bill

Chennai (The Uttam Hindu): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday called an all-party meeting on April 9 to decide the next course of action following the Union government's rejection of the state’s NEET exemption bill.

Speaking in the Assembly on Friday, Stalin expressed deep regret over the Centre’s decision to deny assent to the bill, which was adopted by the Assembly in June 2024 and had been pending with the President’s office since 2022.

"The Union government may have rejected our request for exemption from NEET, but our fight is far from over," he said, adding that the meeting will focus on the way forward in protecting the interests of poor and rural students in Tamil Nadu.

The Chief Minister emphasised that Tamil Nadu’s decades-old medical admission system had consistently produced some of the best doctors in the country. However, with the introduction of the NEET, he said, the dream of becoming a doctor has become increasingly inaccessible for students from rural areas who lack access to expensive coaching.

Stalin recalled that the state government had constituted a high-level committee, headed by Justice A.K. Rajan (retd), to study the impact of NEET. The committee’s findings supported the exemption and highlighted the adverse effects of the examination on marginalised students.

On June 27, 2024, the Tamil Nadu Assembly adopted a resolution moved by Stalin, urging the Union government to grant immediate assent to the NEET Exemption Bill. All parties, including the PMK, a constituent of the NDA, supported the resolution, while BJP MLAs opposed it and staged a walkout.

The resolution declared that the NEET-based admission system undermines school education, severely limits opportunities for rural and economically disadvantaged students, and infringes on the rights of state governments to manage admissions to their own medical colleges. It further urged the Union government to abolish the NEET system altogether and amend the National Medical Commission Act in light of repeated irregularities in the conduct of the examination.

"The sentiments of Tamil Nadu’s people and the welfare of our students have been ignored," Stalin said.

"This rejection is not the end. We will continue to fight for justice."