AIADMK's Palaniswami Questions DMK’s NEET Cancellation Plans
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Synopsis
AIADMK's Edappadi K. Palaniswami challenges the DMK leadership to reveal their strategy for canceling NEET, amid rising concerns over student suicides related to the exam. The political discourse intensifies as EPS demands accountability from the government regarding their promises.
Key Takeaways
- AIADMK leader questions DMK's NEET strategy.
- Tragic suicide of student raises alarm.
- EPS urges government action on student wellbeing.
- Political debate intensifies in Tamil Nadu.
- DMK's unmet promises fuel opposition criticism.
Chennai, March 3 (NationPress) AIADMK General Secretary and former Chief Minister, Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) has put forth a challenge to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin to unveil the “secret” they claim to hold for abolishing the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).
In a message shared on the social media platform X, EPS called on the ruling DMK to promptly disclose their strategy. “The #Daddy_Son duo should reveal their alleged NEET secret. If they do not, they must concede that the DMK has misled the public with false promises,” he asserted.
EPS further insisted that the government must undertake substantial measures to avert NEET-related suicides.
His remarks follow the heartbreaking death of Indhumathi, a 19-year-old student from Tindivanam in Villupuram district, who reportedly took her own life due to anxiety about not performing well in the upcoming NEET examination.
Offering his condolences to the grieving family, EPS held the DMK government accountable for fostering “false hopes” among students and leaving them in a state of uncertainty regarding NEET's future.
The situation gained renewed attention after Indhumathi, a student from Thadapuram village near Tindivanam, was discovered hanging in her home on March 1. She had completed her 12th grade from a government higher secondary school with commendable marks and had attended NEET coaching at a private institution in Puducherry.
Last year, she attempted NEET but did not qualify despite achieving 350 marks. Determined to succeed this time, she had been diligently preparing and had recently acquired her OBC certificate, which she submitted along with her application.
On March 1, while her parents and brother were laboring in the fields, she tragically took her life. Upon their return home in the evening, they discovered her hanging from the ceiling fan.
The family promptly notified the Velimedu Pettai police station, and officers arrived at the scene around 11 p.m. Her body was transported for autopsy to Villupuram Government Medical College Hospital, and an investigation is currently in progress.
The Tamil Nadu government has long opposed NEET, asserting that it disproportionately affects students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and those educated in Tamil medium.
In June 2024, the state Assembly unanimously passed a resolution against NEET, following controversies surrounding leaked NEET-UG 2024 question papers and the postponement of NEET-PG 2024.
The ruling DMK and its allies have continuously called for an exemption for Tamil Nadu from the national medical entrance examination.
In a May 15, 2024, editorial published in Murasoli, the DMK’s official newspaper, the party claimed that 119 NEET aspirants had died by suicide over the past eight years. The editorial underscored that abolishing NEET was the only viable solution to prevent further student suicides and eradicate malpractices within the examination system.
Despite these initiatives, the DMK has yet to fulfill its 2021 election promise to cancel NEET, prompting renewed criticism from the Opposition.
As the AIADMK now seeks clarity, the political discourse surrounding NEET intensifies in Tamil Nadu.
