Madurai, July 25 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Minister Nirmal Kumar on Saturday reiterated the State government’s firm opposition to the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), describing the examination as unnecessary and accusing the previous DMK government of misleading the public with promises it could not fulfil.
Speaking to reporters in Madurai, the minister said the Tamil Nadu government’s stand against NEET has remained consistent and that the examination places an undue burden on students and their families without offering any meaningful benefit. “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,” he said.
Nirmal Kumar also said the government has ensured full protection and necessary permissions for all protests held in Tamil Nadu against NEET, including demonstrations organised by various groups. He said the administration has upheld the democratic right to protest and has extended support by providing the required security arrangements.
The minister launched a sharp attack on the DMK, accusing its leaders of lacking credibility on the NEET issue. He said several former DMK ministers had spoken extensively against the examination while in office but failed to take any effective steps to abolish it.
“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 asked.
Referring to the legal framework governing the examination, Nirmal Kumar said NEET is backed by Supreme Court rulings and cannot simply be withdrawn through State-level announcements. “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.
Reaffirming the government’s position, the minister said Tamil Nadu would continue to oppose NEET and would raise its voice at the appropriate time. “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.
–IANS
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