Tamil Nadu Minister slams NEET, accuses DMK of broken promises on abolition
Synopsis
Tamil Nadu's ruling party has turned the anti-NEET platform back on the DMK — accusing the opposition of riding a cause they had five years in power to act on and didn't. Minister Nirmal Kumar's Madurai remarks expose the central contradiction: NEET cannot be abolished without Parliament, yet both major Tamil Nadu parties have built electoral capital promising exactly that.
Key Takeaways
Tamil Nadu Minister Nirmal Kumar reiterated the State government's opposition to NEET on 25 July in Madurai .
The minister called NEET 'unnecessary' and said it imposes undue stress on students and families without meaningful benefit.
The government has extended full permissions and security arrangements for all anti-NEET protests across Tamil Nadu.
Nirmal Kumar accused the DMK of spending five years in power without taking effective steps to abolish NEET, despite pre-election promises.
He noted that NEET is backed by Supreme Court rulings and cannot be scrapped through State-level action alone — a parliamentary law is required.
The current government said it will continue to oppose NEET and raise the issue 'at the appropriate time.'
Tamil Nadu Minister Nirmal Kumar on Saturday, 25 July reiterated the State government's unequivocal opposition to the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), calling the examination unnecessary and accusing the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) of misleading voters with abolition pledges it had no constitutional power to honour. The minister was speaking to reporters in Madurai.
Government's Stand on NEET
'Our position is clear. NEET is unnecessary. It creates enormous stress and hardship for students as well as their parents. We have repeatedly stated that the examination serves no useful purpose and should be abolished,' Nirmal Kumar said. He stressed that the State government's opposition to the exam has been consistent and that the burden it places on students and families yields no meaningful benefit.
The minister also confirmed that the government has extended full protection and necessary permissions to all anti-NEET protests held across Tamil Nadu, including demonstrations organised by various groups. He said the administration has upheld democratic rights and provided required security arrangements for such gatherings.
Sharp Attack on DMK's Track Record
Nirmal Kumar reserved his sharpest remarks for the DMK, questioning the party's credibility on the NEET issue. He pointed out that several former DMK ministers had spoken at length against the examination while in office but took no effective steps toward abolition during their five-year tenure.
'The DMK has no moral right to speak about NEET today. They were in power for five years and allowed the issue to deteriorate further. Before coming to power, they assured the people that they would abolish NEET. But how could they do that without Parliament passing a law?' he said.
Legal and Constitutional Constraints
Nirmal Kumar underscored that NEET is backed by Supreme Court rulings and cannot be withdrawn through State-level announcements alone — a point he said the DMK conveniently ignored when making electoral promises. 'They created false hopes among the people and contested elections on those promises. Today they are back on the stage making the same claims. None of the former DMK ministers or MLAs who spoke about abolishing NEET has delivered on those assurances,' he said.
This comes amid a long-running political battle in Tamil Nadu over NEET, with successive governments — including the DMK — having passed State Assembly resolutions against the exam, none of which have resulted in a legislative exemption. The issue has claimed student lives, fuelled protests, and remained a defining electoral flashpoint in the State for nearly a decade.
What the Government Plans Next
Reaffirming the current administration's stance, the minister said Tamil Nadu would continue to raise its voice against NEET at the appropriate forum. 'Our stand remains unchanged. We do not believe NEET is necessary, and when the time comes, we will be among the first to raise our voice against it,' Nirmal Kumar added. No specific legislative or parliamentary timeline was announced.
Point of View
Right down to the absence of a concrete parliamentary strategy. Both parties have mastered the art of performative anti-NEET politics while the constitutional reality — that only Parliament can abolish it — remains unchanged. The real question Tamil Nadu's political class has never answered is why, across multiple terms and multiple parties, the State has not built a credible national coalition to push a parliamentary exemption bill. Until that changes, ministerial press conferences in Madurai are theatre, not policy.
NationPress
25 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Tamil Nadu Minister Nirmal Kumar say about NEET on 25 July?
Minister Nirmal Kumar reiterated the Tamil Nadu government's firm opposition to NEET on 25 July in Madurai, calling the exam unnecessary and a source of undue stress for students and families. He said the government's stand against NEET has remained consistent.
Why did Nirmal Kumar criticise the DMK over NEET?
He accused the DMK of making pre-election promises to abolish NEET that it had no constitutional power to fulfil, pointing out that the party was in government for five years and took no effective steps toward abolition. He said the DMK 'has no moral right to speak about NEET today.'
Can Tamil Nadu abolish NEET on its own?
No. Nirmal Kumar himself acknowledged that NEET is backed by Supreme Court rulings and can only be abolished through an act of Parliament — State-level announcements are insufficient. This legal constraint is why past promises by both ruling and opposition parties in Tamil Nadu have not translated into action.
Has the Tamil Nadu government supported anti-NEET protests?
Yes. The minister confirmed that the government has granted full permissions and provided security arrangements for all anti-NEET demonstrations held across Tamil Nadu, framing this as upholding democratic rights.
What is the Tamil Nadu government's next step on NEET?
Nirmal Kumar said the government will continue to oppose NEET and raise its voice 'at the appropriate time,' but no specific legislative or parliamentary action plan was announced at the Madurai press interaction.
