For the first time in the state’s history, Tamil Nadu Assembly has readopted a bill rejected by the Governor. Eight days after Governor R.N. Ravi rejected the bill which seeks exemption from the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to undergraduate medical courses, it was passed again by the state Assembly on Tuesday.
The Assembly first passed the Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Act, 2021 on September 13, 2021.
After the Governor returned the bill to Speaker M. Appavu on February 3, 2022, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin called an all-party meeting on February 5. The meeting decided to convene a one-day special session of the Assembly on February 8 to pass the bill again.
Presenting the bill in the Assembly on Tuesday, Health Minister Ma Subramanian gave out reasons for why the bill had to be readopted. While replying to the three-hour-long debate, Chief Minister Stalin stressed on the need for federalism and state autonomy.
“The special session of the Assembly is not just to oppose NEET, but also to reinforce cooperative federalism and preserve the state's sovereignty,” Stalin said.
Pointing to the arrests of NEET aspirants who allegedly wrote exams through impersonators in recent years and the discrepancies in declared results, he said: “NEET is flawed. Hence we are opposing it. NEET has sent some students to the cemetery and some to jail.”
Detailing on the A.K. Rajan Committee report based on which the bill was passed in September 2021, Stalin said the report was prepared not on the basis of assumptions as surmised by the Governor but on the basis of opinions received from over a lakh people.
“Like apartheid, preparing a question paper set outside State Board syllabus [for TN students] is also a discrimination. Isn’t this tantamount to untouchability as well?” he asked. “Till we win we will not give up this fight against NEET,” the chief minister said.
Earlier, the four BJP MLAs led by its floor leader Nainar Nagendran walked out of the Assembly. Speaking on the bill, former health minister Dr C. Vijayabhaskar of the AIADMK insisted that the government examine the bill carefully because it had already been rejected twice.
“It would be better if the government takes the legal route to get an exemption,” Vijayabhaskar suggested. Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami said that it was the DMK-Congress combine which initially brought NEET. However, DMK’s Durai Murugan responded saying it was not the time to play a blame game but to pass the bill in the interest of the people.
It may be recalled that the AIADMK had earlier chosen to stay away from the all party meeting convened by Stalin.
