DMK postpones hunger strike in Madurai alone

Chennai: In an apparent bid to avoid any clash between DMK and AIADMK cadre, the State-wide hunger strike against Neet by the student, youth and medical wings of the DMK on Sunday has been postponed to Wednesday in Madurai alone in view of the AIADMK’s State level conference in the temple city.

The hunger strike planned to be organized by the DMK wings from 9 am to 5 pm at the Pazhaganandham Roundtana near the Nataraj theatre on Sunday had been postponed to August 23, the party announced.

Ever since DMK announced the date for its hunger strike, it drew flak from various leaders of the AIADMK, who hit out at the ruling party for trying to disrupt their conference in Madurai that was fixed a long time ago and also accusing them of developing fear over the public reaction to their conference.

The DMK however made it clear that the hunger strikes in all the other districts headquarters in the State and in Puducherry and Karaikal would be held scheduled from 9 am to 5 pm to demand the scrapping of Neet that has been imposed on people by the Union BJP government with the Governor R N Ravi supporting it.

Speakers at the various venues across the State would explain the need for the abolition of Neet, the common national level entrance examination for medical courses, which was wrecking the medical college aspirations of the students in the State, besides turning out to be a killer examination, the organisers said.  

In Chennai, the protest event would be near the Valluvar Kottam with State Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin taking part in the fast and DMK general secretary Duraimurugan inaugurating it. Senior leaders, Ministers, MPs, MLAs and other leaders of the party would take part in the fast at different places.

Apart from the members, functionaries and office bearers of the three organizing wings of the DMK, the youth wing, the students’ wing and the medical wing, several students, parents, educationalist, social activists and public intellectuals are also expected to take part in the state-wide protest.

The hunger strike is being organized by the DMK with a view to winning over the support of the common people as the general antipathy against Neet was amplified by the recent suicide of a son and father and the incident at the Raj Bhavan, where the Governor openly said that he would not endorse the scrapping of the examination.

After the news about a parent of a successful student, who had cleared Neet and secured admission in a government college, questioning the Governor at the event organized by the Governor to felicitate those who have cracked the entrance test and asked to sit down came out, there was a general resentment against the imposition of Neet.

To cash in on the prevailing mood of the people, the DMK has organized the hunger strike as a forerunner to turning Neet into an electoral plank for 2024. Since all parties in Tamil Nadu, except the BJP, were against Neet, the DMK would like to project itself as the one championing the cause to fight its imposition on the State.