Stalin writes to 12 CMs to abolish NEET

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has written to 12 Chief Ministers to join hands for abolishing NEET and returning the primacy of state governments in medical education.

After Tamil Nadu Assembly cleared the bill to remove NEET-UG  (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - Undergraduate) for admission into the undergraduate medical courses in the state, now Chief Minister MK Stalin has written to 11 non-BJP chief ministers and Goa Chief Minister to work jointly in eliminating NEET and restoring the control of state government in the medical education.

The state chief minister has written to the chief ministers of Goa, West Bengal, Telangana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Odisha, Maharashtra, Kerala, Jharkhand, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh. The letter reads, "We need to put up a united effort to restore the primacy of state governments in administering the education sector, as envisaged in our Constitution. I look forward to your cooperation in this crucial issue."

The letter further reads, “Our considered position has always been that the Union government’s decision to introduce the NEET goes against the very spirit of federalism and violates the constitutional balance of power by curbing the rights of the State governments to decide on the method of admission to the medical institutions founded, established and run by them. In this regard, we consider that the State governments need to assert their constitutional right and position in deciding the method of admission to their higher educational institutions." 

Stalin has also attached a copy of the Justice AK Rajan committee report. The ruling party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) had established this committee to study NEET's impact on medical admissions in the state. The committee's report suggested that the national medical entrance exam favours affluent aspirants.

All parties in the state except BJP supports eliminating NEET UG. Recently, the former vice-chancellor of Anna University has made serious allegations on the AK Rajan committee report and said that the report is politically motivated.

Read more:

• TN report on NEET is politically motivated: Ex Anna University VC
• Another Tamil Nadu teen commits suicide fearing NEET 2021 results
• TN Assembly clears Bill to scrap NEET, BJP stages walkout
• Supreme Court Refuses To Cancel NEET UG 2021