If needed special Assembly session on Neet can be convened: Edappadi K Palaniswami

CHENNAI: Maintaining that Tamil Nadu has been kept in the dark on why the two Assembly bills seeking exemption for Tamil Nadu from Neet were returned, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami Wednesday said the Centre has so far not assigned any reason for returning the bills sent for presidential assent.
Amidst ruckus in the Assembly over the issue, he said if need arose, a special session of the Assembly can be convened to discuss the issue.

"Only if we know the reason (for returning the bills), we can correct the shortcomings and adopt a corrective resolution and forward it to the Centre for Presidential assent,” Mr Palaniswami said.

Wondering what the State could do if the Centre returns them without giving any reason, he said “only now the issue has gone to the court, where also the Centre has not disclosed the reason for returning the bills back to the State government.”

Responding to the special call attention motion moved by the leader of the Opposition and DMK president M.K. Stalin, the Chief Minister said yet another reminder letter would be sent to the Centre asking for the reason. “However, if a need arises when there is no response, then a special session of the Assembly could be convened to adopt a fresh resolution,” Mr Palaniswami averred.

Reiterating law minister C.Ve. Shanmugam's reply that only when reasons for returning the Bills are known, then the issue could be best addressed, Mr Palaniswami wondered what could be done if Centre rejects the fresh bill without assigning any reason. “There is unanimity on demanding exemption for Tamil Nadu from Neet. This is an important and emotive subject, considering welfare of the students,” he added.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, the DMK leader alleged the government failed to exert pressure on the Centre on the issue.

The CM said memoranda on Neet was submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi sveral times and he had also taken it up personally. “Whenever there was an opportunity to meet the Prime Minister we asked for exemption to Tamil Nadu from NEET, since it affected poor and rural students,” he said.

Won't hesitate to move court: Law minister
Averring that 12 letters had been sent to the Centre between October 2017 and July 2019, asking the reasons for withholding the assent, law minister C. Ve. Shanmugam said the clarification was sought to decide on the next course of action. He assured the Assembly that the State government would not hesitate to move the Madras high court to ascertain the reasons for return of two Bills, if there was no response from the Centre.

This would be done to find out the reasons so that the bills could be adopted afresh in the Assembly and spare Tamil Nadu students from the exam, he said when Mr. Stalin demanded adoption of two fresh Bills since the Centre returned those passed in 2017.

The law minister said the bills could be resent to the President after passing them again in the Assembly with or without amendments. “However, as no reason was assigned by the Centre for returning the bills, the fresh bill could meet the same fate if the State government re-enacts them in the same old form,” he
said.

Hence, appropriate amendments could be incorporated only if the Centre stated why they withheld the earlier ones, he said.

Even three days before the matter was last discussed in the House on July 8, a letter was sent, he said and added that government was committed to redraft the Bills and get them passed afresh in the Assembly if the Centre stated the reasons for holding back and returning
them.