Scrap NEET, give State Govt control over education: TN CM Vijay

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Wednesday reiterated that the Union Government must respect the sentiments of people and students on the NEET issue, saying scrapping the exam altogether is the only solution.

CM Vijay’s party (TVK) extended their support to the Opposition's protest outside Parliament, held in solidarity with students protesting against the NEET question paper leak. He called the arrest of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and other leaders during the NEET protest in Delhi ‘anti-democratic’ and condemned the arrest.

In a statement, the Chief Minister said TVK's stand on abolishing NEET is uncompromising, as the exam severely affects not just students but their families as well. However, he added that his party would not offer false assurances for "vote politics", a reference to Tamil Nadu's main opposition party, DMK, which had promised to scrap NEET ahead of the 2021 Assembly polls.

NEET carries deep emotional weight in Tamil Nadu, where several medical aspirants have died by suicide over the years, either after failing the exam or out of fear of not clearing it. Among them was S Anitha of Ariyalur, whose death in 2017 sparked widespread outrage in the state.

"The Union government must respect the sentiments of our people and students. As a reflection of that, the national test must be completely done away with. We reiterate that this is the only solution to this issue," Vijay said.

He also proposed a broader constitutional fix that "If exams like NEET are to be abolished, education must first be moved to the State List of the Constitution. That alone can be the only permanent solution." As an interim step, he suggested creating a Special Concurrent List to give state governments full powers over education, including medical education, until legal complexities around the State List move are resolved.

Vijay noted that this position had already been emphasised during an educational awards ceremony held soon after his party's launch.

Meanwhile, several Opposition leaders, dressed in black, staged a protest outside Parliament on Wednesday over the NEET issue.