Chennai: A legislation to get exemption for the state for NEET, the all Indian medical entrance examination, would be passed in the present session itself, Chief Minister M K Stalin told the State Assembly, replying to a demand to that effect placed before the House by Udhayanidhi Stalin, representing Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni, in his maiden address on Wednesday.
Udhayanidhi Stalin also demanded the naming of the government medical college that is coming up at Ariyalur after Anita, the girl who became the icon of the protest against NEET after her suicide that followed a valiant fight against the national level entrance test.
Asking for the cleaning up of the Marina beach, which falls under his constituency, he also demanded the withdrawal of all cases filed against those who protested against NEET all over the State, devoting a considerable time dwelling on the need for a united effort to do away with NEET.
Udhayanidhi, who is also the son of Chief Minister M K Stalin, traced his political lineage to the Dravidian movement and even recalled the maiden speech of M Karunanidhi in the Assembly in 1957 favouring farmers during the speech that basically recalled the achievements of the present DMK government.
He took potshots at the BJP government at the Centre, referring to demonitisation and the bringing in of the GST, and the bid to privatize airports, railways, petroleum and even part of defense services.
Stating that the Union Government did not do anything more than placing a brick to set up an AIIMS in Madurai, promised years ago, Udhayanidhi recalled how he captured the imagination of the people by showing a brick during his campaigns to drive home the point.
His campaign led to a brick kiln owner to name his company as ‘AIIMS Bricks’ in Trichy and people in Bihar organising protests in demand of AIIMS in their State by showing bricks.
Not sparing the previous AIADMK government, too, he wanted new tenements to be built for four slum clearance colonies in his constituency and raised a slew of other demands specific to his constituency, including one of the setting up of a women’s cooperative society.
