DMK, AIADMK trade barbs over NEET

Chennai: The DMK and AIADMK traded charges against each other on the NEET issue with Health Minister C Vijaybaskar saying the DMK and Congress had no moral authority to talk against NEET and DMK President M K Stalin accusing the government of not putting enough pressure on the Centre to give Tamil Nadu exemption from it.

Both of them lashed out against the other while speaking to the media separately after the conclusion of the first day’s proceedings of the Assembly session on Monday.

‘Our stand has been consistent in opposing NEET right from the time of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa till today and we are still fighting it legally,’ Vijaybaskar said.

Calling the AIADMK’s claim as ‘drama’, Stalin said though the AIADMK had included the NEET issue in their election manifesto, passed a resolution in their general council meeting and even been part of the unanimous resolution passed in the Assembly, it had done nothing about it.

Vijaybaksar said the policy decision on NEET was taken on December 27, 2010 and it was the late Jayalalithaa who opposed it and then obtained a stay from the Supreme Court on January 18, 2013. Now the tests were being conducted on the orders of a Supreme Court bench, the Minister said.

Stalin said that not even once had the Chief Minister or the Minister concerned had gone to New Delhi and put pressure on the Prime Minister or the Minister concerned to give exemption to Tamil Nadu from NEET.