Tamil Nadu Assembly Unanimously Urges Centre to Abolish NEET for Medical Courses

The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution urging the Union government to abolish the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to undergraduate medical courses, citing repeated irregularities in its conduct, the proliferation of expensive coaching centres, and the tragic loss of young lives. The lone BJP legislator, M. Bhojarajan, opposed the resolution and staged a walkout before the voting.

The resolution, moved by Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare Minister K.G. Arunraj, calls for amendments to the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Act, 2020, the National Commission for Homoeopathy Act, 2020, and other relevant central enactments. This, the resolution argues, would enable medical admissions in the state based on marks obtained in the Class XII examination.

The Tamil Nadu government has consistently maintained that NEET is against social justice and equality and infringes on the rights of states in matters of medical education. The resolution says the examination has seriously undermined opportunities for rural and socio-economically disadvantaged students, including those whose medium of instruction is Tamil. It has also led to the growth of coaching centres charging exorbitant fees, diverting students' attention from the school curriculum to NEET-oriented coaching.

“A single day’s test, rather than twelve years of school education, now determines the course of a student’s higher education,” the resolution states. It further points to repeated question-paper leakages and other irregularities in the conduct of NEET, culminating in the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 and the subsequent re-examination. These developments have caused “untold mental agony” to lakhs of students and have even resulted in the tragic loss of young lives. “The examination has forfeited the trust of the students of this country. NEET should, therefore, be abolished,” the resolution declares.

The Assembly had previously taken a similar stand. In 2021, under the DMK government, it passed the Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Bill, seeking exemption from NEET. However, the Bill was reserved for the President’s consideration, and presidential assent has been withheld.

Mr. Arunraj also said the permanent solution to the NEET issue is to shift education from the Concurrent List to the State List, allowing states greater autonomy in designing admissions. Speaking as a doctor who entered medical college through the direct admission system and later served in a Primary Health Centre for five-and-a-half years, he expressed pride in moving the resolution.

Opposing the resolution, Mr. Bhojarajan argued that NEET encourages students and creates a future. He cited the example of 10 Tamil-medium students from Palladam who cleared NEET. “Why can’t the government run coaching centres? Tamil Nadu students are intelligent. They should be given quality education and coaching,” he said.

The resolution was adopted unanimously and is expected to be forwarded to the Union government for consideration.