Chennai: Leader of Opposition M.K. Stalin on Saturday demanded that the state government pass a draft legislation at the ongoing Assembly session exempting Tamil Nadu from Neet and send it for the approval of the Governor and President to make it a law.
Assuring that DMK would support the passing of the draft legislation in the session itself, he said the session could be extended to facilitate action on Neet. He asserted that the state government had the powers to enact a law since education falls under the concurrent list and cited the state government's amendment to PCA Act as an example.
He said the draft legislation should be passed to exempt Tamil Nadu students from Neet this year itself and it could be sent for the approval of the Governor and President to make it as a law.
He said NEET would affect rural students and ruin social justice in the admission of medical courses. Besides, an entrance examination at the national level snatches away the rights of states, he added.
Citing the judgment in the Supreme Court in 2013 against NEET, he said the court had ruled that Indian Medical Council did not have the authority to introduce such an examination. The court had also noted that each state separate syllabus and rural students would not have the coaching facilities enjoyed by their urban counterparts, Stalin said.
After the BJP government came to power, the judgment was withdrawn and Neet was introduced when the case is pending in the Supreme Court, the DMK leader said.
Recalling that entrance examination for professional courses was cancelled by the DMK government in 2007 by the DMK government, he said education itself was in the state list and shifted to concurrent list in 1976.
