Centre rejects TN’s NEET exemption Bill, Stalin calls it “dark chapter in federalism”

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday informed the state assembly that the Union government has rejected the state’s Bill seeking exemption from the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). The Bill, which was passed twice by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, was sent for Presidential assent but was denied approval by the Centre. Stalin described the decision as “a dark chapter in the history of Indian federalism”.

The Chief Minister said the Bill was backed by detailed explanations submitted to the Union Ministries of Health, Home, and Education, yet it was turned down without accepting the state’s justifications. “This news is regrettable and comes as a shock to students,” he said, adding, “On behalf of the lakhs of students and their parents aspiring to pursue medical education in Tamil Nadu, I assure that the Tamil Nadu government will take all legal measures to continue our struggle to end NEET.”

In response to the Centre’s decision, Stalin has called for an all-party meeting on April 9 to discuss the next course of action. Legal experts will also be present in the meeting. The Bill, originally introduced in 2021, was based on the recommendations of a committee headed by retired Madras High Court judge Justice AK Rajan, which concluded that NEET had a negative impact on students from economically weaker and rural backgrounds.

The Justice AK Rajan Committee submitted a 165-page report to the state government in July 2021, recommending the scrapping of NEET for medical admissions. The report warned that the continuation of NEET would lead to a decline in the number of students from rural areas gaining admission to medical colleges and predicted long-term effects on primary health centres and government hospitals due to a shortage of doctors.

In June 2024, the Tamil Nadu Assembly passed a fresh resolution urging the Union Government to scrap NEET by amending the National Medical Commission Act. All political parties in the state, except the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), supported the Bill. Leader of Opposition and AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi Palaniswami said the party would decide whether to attend the all-party meeting and criticised Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin for not speaking on the issue.