‘NEET discriminatory, against social justice’

Honorable Speaker of the House. The elections were held in Madras province when the electoral system was established for the first time in India to elect the representatives of the people. The Justice Party, the forerunner of the Dravidian movement, formed the government in the first general election in 1920, when the country was under British rule.

All those who came to India from England to oversee the working of the Madras Provincial Assembly remarked that the Madras Province is the only province in India governed by the rule of law and administrative protocol.

This is an important day in the history of this House, which established such democratic values. We have gathered here to protect democracy, to uphold the dignity of democracy, to uphold the principle of federalism and to secure the right to education.

to protect the federal philosophy

We are not meeting only to talk about NEET exam [the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test], We have gathered to defend the sovereignty and rights of the Tamil Nadu Legislature. Federalism is a fundamental idea that actually protects the ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity of the Indian subcontinent! We have come together to ensure that the great federal philosophy remains intact.

I stand in this assembly which has laid the foundation of social justice, legal justice, rights of the oppressed, the greatness of the Tamil ethnic community and its success in upholding its language. And I speak with the belief that this assembly can and certainly will end the social injustice of NEET. Today we are in this special meeting to propose a policy of social justice in education for the whole country by getting trained on the footsteps of our leader Anna. To quench the students’ passion for medical education, we all have come together to work in solidarity and promote social justice.

NEET is not a system established by the Constitution. It was not made a part of the constitution. The Medical Council of India made the creation of NEET mandatory. When such a test was proposed in 2010, it was strongly opposed by the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Muthamizharinar Kalaignar.

much opposition

Many Indian states also opposed it. This test has been challenged in 115 cases across India. Tamil Nadu is the state which is taking the lead in this direction. All these cases were heard by the Supreme Court.

NEET was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court on 18 July 2013. The Chief Justice of India delivered the verdict. The exam was later abolished in the Indian subcontinent.

However, after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the election and formed the government, a private training institute reopened the issue. The Supreme Court heard the matter of NEET. The Supreme Court, after hearing the matter on 24 May 2016, said “the decision has been withdrawn” and “hear the matter afresh”. On this basis, the BJP-led central government issued an ordinance on April 11, 2016, which made NEET immediately implemented across the country.

Private Training Institutes Benefit from NEET The NEET Exemption Bill is being introduced for the benefit of those who cannot afford to pay that much for training. NEET is a hindrance in the right to education of poor and needy children. In his dream of becoming a doctor, a barrier wall has been put up in the name of NEET. “You can’t be a doctor,” Neat says. “You don’t deserve this,” it says, stopping one’s progress. Hence the NEET Exemption Bill has been introduced. I don’t think I need to go into detail about the abnormalities in that test in this assembly.

So, in short, NEET is not a holy cow. It attempts to marginalize students from low-income families under the guise of merit. Consequently, we oppose the examination and demand exemption.

The question I want to address in this forum is whether NEET, which has sent some students to graveyards and others to jail, is really necessary. This is a question that has been raised by the entire student community as well as the parents.

a detailed review

On June 19, 2021, a committee was constituted under retired High Court judge AK Rajan to examine the issues and submit a report on the effects of NEET on poor and backward students. The public was consulted. On July 14, 2021, the committee submitted a 193-page report to the government based on those observations. He claimed that the government school students are unable to fulfill their dream of pursuing medical education.

I have constituted a committee under the leadership of the Chief Secretary to give detailed recommendations on this report. After careful consideration, the Bill exempting Tamil Nadu from NEET was enacted by this assembly. We did a lot of study and were able to pass this bill on the basis of factual information.

The NEET Exemption Bill was passed with the support of all members of this House, except four BJP members. The Bill not only reflects the sentiments of Tamil Nadu as a whole, but also reflects the notion of sovereignty of the Assembly.

It was to be approved by the Hon’ble Governor, and he should have sent it to the Hon’ble President for approval. Instead, they kept it pending for 142 days before reaching a decision – despite our many requests – and then returned it to us. In this House, I must categorically state that the reasons he cited for rejecting the Bill were wrong.

The Justice AK Rajan Committee was constituted on June 10, 2021, under GO No. 283 of the Department of Health and Family Welfare. The committee was made up of academicians and government officials. The terms of the study were also made public by this high-level group.

The public has been asked to give feedback to the committee. Hundreds of thousands of people had expressed their views to the commission through emails, mails and petition boxes put up at various places.

As per the recommendation, NEET has limited the diversity of community representation in MBBS and higher medical courses by disrupting the desire of the underprivileged to obtain medical education and favoring the socio-economically prosperous sections. Its figures can also be seen in the report. According to the survey, government school children, whose parents’ annual income is less than ₹2.5 lakh, are the most affected backward (BC), most backward (MBC), scheduled caste (SC), and scheduled tribe (ST). ,

The governor criticized the study for claiming that NEET is “against merit”. Significantly, the report of the Justice AK Rajan Committee contains proven facts to refute it. Rural poor students have been affected among those selected so far. According to research, those studying in Tamil medium in government schools also suffer. At this point, I strongly advise that one does not mistakenly count those who benefit from the Tamil Nadu government’s 7.5% reservation as those who benefit from NEET.

power to make laws

Which case was heard by a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court? Modern Dental College vs Government of Madhya Pradesh, The Supreme Court’s decision was clear: the state government has the power to legislate on the admission of students to higher education institutions.

In a separate judgment delivered by Justice Banumathi in the same case, he also ruled that the law governing student admissions was within the jurisdiction of the state government. We passed the bill against NEET only by using the legislative power of the State Legislature.

The Governor has urged that NEET should be made mandatory by the Constitution. Any legal provision can be made according to the constitution, but only for the rights of the socially and economically disadvantaged. We are bringing back this NEET exemption bill on the same basis. The constitution is anti-discrimination. However, NEET is inherently discriminatory. Social justice is emphasized in constitutional law. At the same time, NEET is against social justice. The term “justice of law” is used in constitutional law. But NEET favors the rich. The Indian Constitution is built on the principle of equality. On the other hand, NEET is the polar opposite of equality. NEET is against all the fundamental rights of the constitution. That’s why we are demanding relaxation in NEET.

My pain stems from arguing for so long about a terrible exam that adversely affects poor and rural students.

The withdrawal of this Bill has also cast doubt on the authority of our Tamil Nadu State. The sovereignty of this legislature has been questioned. The autonomy of the states has been questioned. That’s what worries me. What will happen to the constitutionally mandated relationship between the central and state governments? What are the rights and responsibilities of people of different races, languages ​​and cultures?

We passed a bill on September 13, 2021, exempting students from NEET on the basis of the power we have. The Governor is required by law to reserve it for the approval of the President. I hope that the Governor will discharge his duties properly. It is the responsibility of the governor, limited by the legislative power of the legislature, who is elected by the people.

I hope the Governor will respect the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu and in the best interest of the students of Tamil Nadu send the NEET Exemption Bill to the President without delay, which will be reconsidered and passed as per the powers conferred on him. People elected by the legislature by the constitution. I urge everyone to support this bill so that the right to education, which has been denied for a long time, as well as the state rights of Tamil Nadu and Scheduled Castes, Tribals, Backward/Most Backward/Oppressed/Poor/Marginalized / and rural people.

Glory to Tamil Nadu!

MK Stalin is the Chief Minister President of Tamil Nadu and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). This article is an edited version of the Chief Minister’s speech