DMK President M K Stalin has urged the Prime Minister to reverse the decision to include salary as a component for OBC creamy layer calculation, abolish all India quota admissions in medical courses and do away with The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admissions to UG, PG and Diploma in Medical courses.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Stalin said that when marginalized sections of society were at a greater disadvantage in the present pandemic, ‘certain decisions taken by the Central Government need to be reconsidered in order to preserve the best interests of all citizens and ensure that opportunities remain equitable and fair to all our people.’
Stating that economic criterion was against the spirit of reservation, he said that ‘including salary to be part of the income test to categorize the creamy layer with OBC ignores the social barriers that continue to exist for marginalized communities.’
He requested the Prime Minister to reject BP Sharma Committee’s report on the concept of creamy layer. ‘As matters regarding reservation require action by the State government and as this decision severely impacts lakhs of citizens across the country, I urge you to reverse this decision on priority and ensure the livelihoods of OBC are protected, especially in this time of crisis,’ Stalin said.
On medical admissions, he said the concept of an ‘All India Quota’ (AIQ) was a creature of judicial pronouncement and did not have any statutory backing.
‘Medical education being squarely a matter of governance should be administered by the Parliament and the State Legislature, taking into account the changing needs,’ he said, adding that All India Quota seats in medical and dental admissions should be abolished and State Governments should be left to have their own selection process.
He said the introduction of NEET had caused some serious problems to medical education in Tamil Nadu. Firstly, the examination completely decimated the right of the state to regulate medical education and NEET placed those who studied in CBSE schools at an advantage than those who study at state board schools, because different state boards follow different syllabi and textbooks.
Finally, from the last 3 years of the NEET, it was clear that only students who were able to go for private coaching were able to score in this examination.
These private coaching classes were unaffordable for many students in the state who face an unfair disadvantage, he added and requested the Prime Minister to abolish NEET.
