TVK Calls for Abolition of NEET, Demands State Control Over Medical Education

The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by actor Vijay, has formally demanded the complete scrapping of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medical admissions. The party made its position clear amid ongoing student protests and reports of paper leaks in the medical entrance examination.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the TVK asserted that it does not merely oppose irregularities in NEET but seeks its outright abolition. The party also called for transferring education from the Concurrent List to the State List of the Indian Constitution, arguing that states should have full authority over medical education. As an interim measure, the TVK proposed the creation of a Special Concurrent List to grant powers to state governments until legal or procedural hurdles are resolved.

The TVK's statement comes days after protests by medical aspirants in Delhi and other parts of the country. The party criticised the main opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) without naming it, accusing it of engaging in 'fraudulent politics' by making false promises to scrap NEET. The DMK had promised to abolish NEET in the run-up to the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections but has not done so after coming to power.

The TVK's demand aligns with its broader vision of state autonomy in education. 'Our victorious leader (Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay) has already emphasised this,' the party said in its statement.

The TVK's announcement follows criticism by Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin over the government's handling of rap singer 'Therukkural' Arivu, who has taken a strong stand against NEET. Arivu was briefly detained by police after raising anti-NEET slogans outside the Tamil Nadu Secretariat in Chennai.