HC remarks should make govt give up Neet: MK Stalin

Chennai: The Madras High court expressing shock at the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) exam for undergraduate medical and dental courses admissions being cleared mostly by students who can afford coaching classes by spending several lakh rupees, and the court's observation implying that 'NEET' was anti-poor, has prompted a quick, pro-active response from the DMK president M K Stalin on Tuesday.

A division bench of the Madras High court had on Monday, while passing interim orders in a an appeal filed by an aspiring medical student, had said that the expensive coaching classes to prepare for NEET put rural students at a disadvantageous position as they cannot afford it and that the Central government should take note of this fact also.

The court had posted the next hearing of the case to November 7.

Referring to these observations of the High court, Mr. Stalin in a tweet said that, "whenever we pointed out that NEET quashed the medical study dreams of the poor and the economically disadvantaged, the Centre attributed motives to us; but the High court's remarks yesterday only confirmed what we said."  

Hence, Mr. Stalin urged that at least now, the Centre and State governments should trod the "path of social justice shown by the High Court" and act accordingly, indicating that it was better that NEET was given up altogether.

The DMK had in its Lok Sabha election manifesto earlier this year had promised to scrap NEET, it may be recalled.