Tamil Nadu Minister for Public Works and Sports Development Aadhav Arjuna on 22 July sharply condemned the police action against students and Opposition leaders protesting the NEET paper leak in New Delhi, calling the crackdown a 'crushing of democracy' and reiterating the state government's firm demand for the complete abolition of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

Minister's Statement on the Crackdown

In a post on social media platform X, Aadhav Arjuna said that peaceful student demonstrators had been treated like criminals by authorities in the national capital. He argued that the use of force against lawful protestors was unacceptable in a democratic country and warned that such heavy-handed responses would only intensify public resentment against the ruling dispensation at the Centre.

'The first voice of opposition to NEET echoed from Tamil Nadu, and today that voice has spread across the country,' the Minister said, asserting that what began as a state-level movement had evolved into a nationwide campaign for examination reform.

Detention of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Condemned

Aadhav Arjuna also condemned the detention of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, who had joined the student protest in New Delhi. He described their detention as a direct assault on democratic values and accused the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre of attempting to silence voices demanding accountability and transparency.

Notably, the detentions came amid a broader crackdown on demonstrators protesting the alleged NEET paper leak, a controversy that has drawn intense scrutiny over the integrity of India's centralised medical entrance examination system.

Tamil Nadu's Long-Standing Opposition to NEET

The Minister reiterated that Tamil Nadu was the first state to formally oppose NEET and that the state government would continue to pursue every constitutional and legal avenue to secure its abolition. He argued that the examination undermines state education systems and disproportionately limits opportunities for students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds.

Aadhav Arjuna called on the Union government to restore education to the State List of the Constitution, contending that individual states should retain greater authority over framing admission policies suited to their own educational ecosystems. This position reflects a long-running federal friction between Chennai and New Delhi over education policy, with Tamil Nadu having passed a state assembly resolution against NEET in the past.

Broader Context and What Comes Next

The NEET paper leak controversy has triggered protests across multiple states, with students and opposition parties accusing the Centre of mismanaging the examination process. The National Testing Agency (NTA), which administers NEET, has faced mounting calls for reform or dissolution. Critics argue that a single centralised test disadvantages students from state-board backgrounds and rural areas who lack access to expensive coaching infrastructure.

Tamil Nadu's push for NEET abolition is expected to intensify in Parliament, with the state's ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) likely to press the issue through legislative and legal channels. The outcome of ongoing court proceedings and parliamentary debate will determine whether the Centre moves toward structural reform of the medical admissions process.