After months and months of impasse, Governor of Tamil Nadu RN Ravi has forwarded the NEET Exemption Bill, passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly for the second time, to Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the assent of the President.
The same bill which has been the bone of contention between the Governor and the DMK government in Tamil Nadu.
Chief Minister MK Stalin stated in the State Assembly, "I am happy to inform the House that the Secretary to the Governor, informed this to me over the telephone. As the next phase of our struggle, to get exemption from NEET, I appeal to all that we have to make further efforts in this regard to get the assent of the President for this Bill by exerting pressure on the Union Government."
Contending that medical admissions in the state should be based on the scores obtained in plus-two exams and not on the basis of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) scores, the NEET Bill was passed by the State Assembly on September 13, 2021.
For as many as 142 days the Bill was stalled by the Governor and was returned to the Assembly only after the medical admissions for the current year had started.
While returning the NEET Bill, the Governor had referred to a judgment of the Supreme Court given in favour of the NEET. "But the NEET Bill of the State government is about the sovereignty of the Tamil Nadu Assembly and its powers to enact legislation echoing the feelings of the people of the State. That is why we seek the assent of the President for this Bill," Stalin had said, reacting to the Governor's decision.
As per the decision which was taken at the all legislature parties meeting, chaired by the Chief Minister, on February 8, the Bill was re-adopted by the State Assembly and sent to the Governor again.
Again, the Governor took a long time to decide on the bill and subsequently, came under attack from the DMK and its allies.
On Tamil New Year's Day, the face-off worsened when the Council of Ministers, led by the CM and the DMK's allies, boycotted an event hosted by the Governor. Top government officials including Chief Secretary, DGP and senior IAS officers also abstained from the event.
