Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India]: Edappadi Palaniswami, General Secretary of AIADMK, on Sunday said that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) was introduced in 2010 when DMK MP Gandhiselvan was the Minister of State for Health during the previous UPA-II regime and now they were protesting against it.
He claimed that DMK is staging a “huge drama” now regarding the NEET.
“DMK is running a huge drama regarding the NEET exam. Today, Udhayanidhi Stalin staged a play called hunger strike to cancel the NEET exam,” EPS said.
Palaniswami further said that NEET was introduced in 2010 when DMK MP Gandhiselvan was the Minster of State, Health during the Congress regime. “Today they are holding a hunger strike to hide this. The DMK brought the NEET, but today it is protesting to ban it”.
He mentioned that Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said that NEET will be cancelled if DMK comes to power but it has been three years since DMK came to power “but the NEET has not been cancelled.”
He took a dig at the DMK government over many issues including the law and order and alleged corruption in the state.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)’s student wing and the medical wing held a state-wide hunger strike demanding the abolition of the NEET in Chennai on Sunday.
Udhayanidhi Stalin also participated in the one-day hunger strike.
The state-wide demonstration is against state Governor RN Ravi over his refusal to ban the NEET in the state and the Central Government.
Speaking to reporters, Udhayanidhi Stalin said “It’s not suicide it is a murder, Central Government is responsible for this and AIADMK is joining hands with them. I did not participate in this protest as a minister or MLA. I have participated here as the brother of the student who died while preparing for NEET…”
A man in Tamil Nadu’s Chennai ended his life by hanging after his 19-year-old son died by suicide on August 13, after failing to clear the NEET exam twice, police said.
According to officials, the deceased, S Jegadeeswaran (19) was an aspirant and hanged himself a day earlier after having flunked the NEET examination twice.