Amid language row with the Centre, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin suffered another setback after President Droupadi Murmu rejected a bill to exclude the state and allow it to use Class XII marks for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) examination.
"The Union government might have rejected our request seeking exemption from NEET, but our fight against NEET isn't over in any way," Stalin told the state Assembly as quoted by India Today.
Chief Minister MK Stalin informed the Assembly of the rejection of a bill cleared twice by the state legislature - in 2021 and 2022. He alleged that despite the Tamil Nadu government providing all necessary clarifications, the Union government has rejected the exemption from NEET.
Stalin has called for a meeting of all MLAs at the Secretariat on April 9 evening. The Chief Minister urged all leaders of legislative parties to participate in the meeting.
“On behalf of the lakhs of students and parents in Tamil Nadu who aspire to pursue medical education, the state government is committed to taking all necessary legal steps to realise their dreams," CM Stalin said.
He also said the struggle for exemption from the NEET process will continue.
"The Union government may have rejected Tamil Nadu's request... but our fight is far from over. We will consult legal experts on lawful measures we can take to challenge this decision,” he told the Assembly.
Stalin termed the current development as a "dark chapter in federalism". Stalin accused the Centre of disregarding the will of the Tamil Nadu people.
This move comes amid the three-language policy war between the MK Stalin-led DMK government in Tamil Nadu and the Centre.
Tamil Nadu has opposed the NEET since it was made compulsory in 2017. According to Tamil Nadu, NEET not only threatens state autonomy with respect to the Centre conducting admissions to state run institutions, it also overshadows students’ efforts in their higher secondary education and has been known to spawn multi-billion dollar coaching centres.