The ruling DMK has criticized NEET as an ‘industry’ created for the benefit of coaching centers that make ‘several lakh crores’, stating that Tamil Nadu was the first state to address this issue, and now major national parties are also speaking out against the test.
DMK’s Tamil mouthpiece ‘Murasoli’ pointed to the arrest of several individuals and searches by the CBI in connection with NEET-UG irregularities. The article also mentioned that BJP’s partner, JD(U), passed a resolution over the irregularities, indicating that major parties in India are beginning to raise their voices against NEET.
The DMK is advocating for a debate in both houses of Parliament over NEET irregularities. Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has also expressed the need for deliberation on the issue.
During a recent session in the state Assembly, Minister for Sports and Youth Welfare Udhayanidhi Stalin spoke about the ‘Dravidian Algorithm,’ emphasizing that Tamil Nadu understood much earlier than other states whether ‘NEET is good or bad.’ He also highlighted that Tamil people were among the first to recognize the reasons for opposing ‘Hindi imposition.’
On July 1, 2024, an editorial in a Tamil daily stated that Tamil Nadu was the first to claim that NEET (National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test) is fraudulent, and now the entire country supports that view. The editorial criticized NEET as an industry that benefits coaching centers at the expense of the people, and it highlighted the recent arrests of fraudsters. The editorial also referred to a resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly on June 28, 2024, which sought exemption from NEET and called for the exam to be scrapped altogether. The DMK party has consistently argued that NEET is unjust, particularly for poor and rural students, and only benefits coaching centers. The main opposition AIADMK and most other parties in the state also oppose NEET.