TED NewsDesk, Tamil Nadu: On October 24, a group of about a hundred people from DMK body called for a protest near Raj Bhavan, Chennai. The cadre demanded the Governor of Tamil Nadu, Mr. Banwari Lal Purohit, to pass the bill concerning a 7.5 percent quota for students of government schools in MBBS enrollment on the ground NEET 2020 results. The protest took place on Saturday following the declaration of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test 2020 results.
DMK Chief M.K. Stalin led the protest. He, along with other protestors, faulted Edappadi K Palaniswami, Chief Minister, Tamil Nadu, to ignore the issue and not order the Governor to grant his consent.
Aim to Scrape off NEET: Stalin
Stalin, while addressing the crowd, informed about the party’s plan to drop the NEET exam. He also hinted that the DMK would adopt legal ways to ban NEET in the state if given a chance in the upcoming elections.
“When Jayalalithaa was the chief minister, NEET couldn’t come inside Tamil Nadu. But today, since the Edappadi-led AIADMK is like a slave, NEET has entered the state… just like how Edappadi (K Palaniswami) fell at the feet to become the chief minister, he allowed (NEET in Tamil Nadu) to safeguard his post,” Stalin said.
“The resolution on the release of Rajiv Gandhi assassination convicts is still pending with the Governor for a long time. I don’t want this NEET bill also to get stuck like that,” he added.
Mentioning the Governor’s reaction to the NEET bill, he said that it is almost 40 days since the party forwarded the bill to him. Stalin further alleged that the Governor is stalling the account, hoping that the AIADMK government will not remember.
“The state assembly passed the bill only after a committee led by a former judge recommended this. Why does the Governor need legal opinion again,” he asked.
The opposition (DMK) will never ignore the matter even if the state government overlooks it: Stalin.
Other participants were senior leaders such as TR Baalu, former Union Minister, Kanimozhi, MP, Lok Sabha, Saidapet MLA, and former Chennai Mayor Ma Subramanian and Durai Murugan, General Secretary, DMK. They held placards with slogans like ‘Don’t ruin medical doctor dreams of students from the villages.’
This year, the Tamil Nadu government issued a bill recommending a 7.5 percent reservation in MBBS admissions for those who belong to government schools and qualify for NEET. The Tamil Nadu Assembly passed the bill on September 15. However, the state Governor is yet to make a decision.
