BJP in Tamil Nadu Demands Apology from Udhayanidhi Stalin Over NEET Commitment

Chennai, Jan 12 (NationPress) The Tamil Nadu BJP has demanded an unconditional apology from Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin for supposedly not fulfilling his promise to abolish the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

BJP state secretary S.G. Suryah accused Udhayanidhi Stalin of “shamelessly lying” to the people of Tamil Nadu during the 2021 Assembly election campaign. He claimed that Udhayanidhi assured voters that abolishing NEET would be the DMK government’s top priority.

In a statement released on Sunday, Suryah remarked, “Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin made a promise to the people of Tamil Nadu that his first signature as a minister would abolish NEET. However, he has failed to deliver on that promise.”

The BJP leader has called for an unconditional apology from Udhayanidhi for what he described as a blatant “U-turn” on the matter. He also clarified that the central government has no role in enforcing NEET, as it is a directive from the Supreme Court.

Suryah welcomed a recent statement from Vijay, an actor-turned-politician and president of the Tamilaga Vettai Kazhagam (TVK), who criticized the DMK government for its failure to eliminate NEET.

In a social media post on Saturday, Vijay accused the DMK of deceiving the public with false assurances. He pointed out that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has now acknowledged that only the Union government has the authority to abolish NEET. Vijay stated, “This is a significant social and political issue for Tamil Nadu. During the 2021 Assembly elections, the DMK promised to abolish NEET if returned to power. However, they knew fully well that this decision could only be taken by the central government.”

Vijay further alleged that the DMK made these commitments solely to gain votes and criticized the ruling party for failing to keep its promises after assuming power. He remarked, “How long will they deceive us in our own country?”

The TVK leader also emphasized that NEET was a critical campaign issue in 2021. “The DMK promised to cancel the exam, claiming they had a plan to do so. Now they admit only the central government can abolish NEET. Isn’t this a betrayal of the people who voted for them?” Vijay commented.

In a statement on Friday, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin informed the Tamil Nadu Assembly that NEET would have been abolished if the INDIA alliance had taken power at the Centre. However, he conceded that only the Central government has the power to discontinue the exam.

CM Stalin also reminded Opposition leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami that during the tenures of Karunanidhi and J. Jayalalithaa, NEET was not in existence. He argued that the exam was introduced only during the period of Palaniswami’s government.

S.G. Suryah further asserted, “If anyone wants to get away from NEET, they should approach the Supreme Court, not the Central government.”