Chennai: Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly On Friday, once again a unanimous resolution was passed urging the Centre to exempt the state from the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test and allow it to admit students. Medical Courses based on Plus Two Exam MarksResolution passed by the House Opposition to BJP and walkout, calling on the Centre to make amends National Medical Commission Act And the nationwide screening test should be abolished in view of the irregularities and growing opposition to this test in many states on the lines of Tamil Nadu.

However, BJP ally PMK supported the resolution moved by the chief minister and other opposition parties. DMK President MK StalinWho argued that the test was discriminatory and deprived students of opportunity. Rural and poor students Access to medical education was restricted and states were deprived of their right to admit students with Plus Two marks as the qualifying criterion.

BJP leader Nainar Nagendran argued that the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)National Eligibility Criteria) was needed as it had many benefits.

On the argument that the exam made it difficult for poor and rural students to pursue medical education, he said the then Union health minister J.P. Nadda and then chief minister E.K. Palaniswami had ensured that there was a 7.5 per cent reservation for state government school students who cleared the exam.

Nagendran said, “NEET is needed. The assembly resolution against NEET is unacceptable and we are walking out of the House.” He then walked out of the House along with the BJP MLAs.

The main opposition AIADMK was not present in the House as all members were suspended for the brief session ending on June 29 for disrupting proceedings over the Kallakurichi liquor tragedy incident.

Introducing the proposal, Stalin said that apart from making medical education inaccessible to poor and rural students, NEET would affect medical services in rural and backward areas.

“The DMK has been relentlessly opposing NEET since it was made compulsory in 2017 and had also launched a massive signature campaign aimed at abolishing the exam,” the chief minister said, recalling two earlier assembly resolutions passed by the House seeking Presidential assent to exempt Tamil Nadu from NEET.

He said that besides this, irregularities in the conduct of NEET, scams that came to light in several states, grace marks given and later cancelled forced the Centre to order a CBI probe, which led to states protesting against the exam.

Stalin cited letters written to the Centre by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav seeking cancellation of NEET following irregularities in the conduct of the exam.

“The voice of Tamil Nadu has now become the voice of the country,” he said and appealed to the members to support his resolution against NEET.

The resolution said, “NEET should be abolished. Tamil Nadu should be allowed to admit students to medical courses by taking Class 12 marks as the eligibility criteria. Keeping in view the irregularities and protests against the exam in several states, the Centre should make suitable amendments in the National Medical Commission Act to abolish NEET completely.”

Speaker M. Appavu said it was passed unanimously.