Chennai: DMK working president M.K. Stalin on Saturday demanded the resignation of health minister C. Vijayabaskar for ‘failing to protect social justice’ in medical admissions and appealed to the state government to exert enough pressure to get President’s approval for the state’s Neet exemption bill.
CPI(M) MP T.K. Rangarajan too appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to prevail upon the home ministry to forward Tamil Nadu’s bill to the President with a favourable recommendation for his assent.
Stalin said the state government had met with big failure in obtaining President’s nod for its Neet exemption bill. It should have raised its voice against the centre, but it is afraid to even murmur against the Centre.
The state government should express the sentiments of Tamil Nadu and take emergency measures without delay, instead of creating false hopes among parents and students, he said.
He said about 50 per cent of the medical seats would go to CBSE students if counselling is based on Neet and even in the general category, there would be no scope for reservation, since most of the seats would go to communities which had already progressed.
He also said reservation for state-board students was a ploy to cover up the state government’s mistake of not getting exemption from Neet. However, he added that legal steps should be taken to correct the high court judgment against 85 per cent reservation. “When there is no equality in school education curriculum, how can there be equality in admission”.
CPM MP T.K. Rangarajan, in a letter to Modi said Neet would frustrate students who strenuously study class XI and XII in the state board to secure outstanding performance.
Citing article 46 of the Constitution, Rangarajan said “the state should promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people and protect them from social injustice. Any special provisions that the state may make for the educational, economic or social advancement of any backward class of citizens may not be challenged on the ground of being discriminatory”.
He also quoted the Supreme Court verdict on July 18, 2013, saying “the right to admit students in different educational and medical Institutions is an integral part of the right to administer and cannot be interfered with except in the case of mal administration and lack of transparency “
Why is Stalin hesitating to raise terror issue, asks Ponnar
Union Minister of State for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan lashed out at DMK working president M.K. Stalin for not raising the issue of terrorism and arrest of 11 terrorists from Tamil Nadu.
Wondering why the DMK leader was hesitating to speak on the issue, Mr Radhakrishnan said Mr Stalin who found fault with the Centre on many issues has “remained silent” on the arrest of 11 terrorists. “As leader of the Opposition party he could have raised this issue and also about terrorism. What is preventing him from asking (about these) in the Assembly,” the Minister asked while interacting with reporters on Saturday.
Meanwhile, on a visit to the Textile City, BJP national secretary H Raja accused the Dravidian parties of reducing the stature of people to that of “beggars.”
“The 50-year rule of the Dravidian parties has only converted Tamil Nadu into a desert and its people have been made beggars,” he said hitting out at the Dravidian majors.
He also criticised the Tamil reality show - Bigg Boss, of which veteran actor Kamal Hassan is the host, saying “it lacked the elements of entertainment and information.”
