Even as the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government and Governor R.N. Ravi continue to be on a confrontation mode, the bill seeking exemption from the National Entrance cum Eligibility Test (NEET) is finally beginning to see the light of the day. The Governor has forwarded the bill to the Centre for presidential assent.
Chief Minister MK Stalin told the Assembly that he has been informed by the Governor’s secretary over telephone that the anti-NEET bill which was readopted in the House has been forwarded to the Union Home Ministry. “As part of our struggle for NEET exemption, in the next step, we should jointly take all efforts to insist the Union government for Presidential assent for the bill,” Stalin told the Assembly.
The Tamil Nadu Assembly in February readopted the anti-NEET bill after the Governor rejected and returned it without making any changes. This was the first time, the state Assembly readopted a bill after the Governor rejected it. The DMK, since the appointment of R.N. Ravi as the Governor of the state, has been on a confrontation mode with him.
The tussle reached new heights two weeks ago when the government openly boycotted a reception hosted by the Governor on Tamil New Year day. Two of the ministers even boycotted the Governor’s events. CM Stalin also went to the extent of calling the Governor a “postman” in the floor of the Assembly.
The DMK government has also passed a bill in the Assembly empowering the state government to appoint vice chancellors for 13 universities across the state. The bill assumed significance as the Governor was busy at the Ooty Raj Bhavan talking to the university vice chancellors during a conference.
Stalin’s announcement in the Assembly on Wednesday was only to reiterate that the DMK government is hell bent on keeping up its poll promise of getting exemption from the NEET. But it remains to be seen if the President will give assent to the anti-NEET bill for it to become a law.
