The long-standing friction between the Tamil Nadu government and the Centre over medical education escalated on April 4, as Chief Minister MK Stalin revealed in the Assembly that the state’s bill seeking exemption from the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) had been rejected by the President of India.
The bill, originally passed in 2021 and reaffirmed in 2022, proposed replacing NEET with Class XII scores for medical admissions in the state.
Despite submitting detailed clarifications to multiple Union Ministries, Tamil Nadu’s request was denied — a decision Stalin decried as “a dark chapter in federalism”. He argued that NEET disproportionately benefits privileged students from urban areas who can afford costly coaching, while marginalising those from rural or economically weaker backgrounds.
As reported by NDTV, Stalin announced an all-party meeting on April 9 to decide on legal and political measures to challenge the rejection.
The bill was rooted in findings by a high-level committee led by Justice AK Rajan, which concluded that NEET adversely affected social equity. The state also passed a resolution in June 2024, unanimously urging the Union government to scrap NEET altogether, citing suicides, stress-related mental health issues, and recurring controversies such as the 2024 NEET paper leak.
Tamil Nadu's position is further reflected in its broader opposition to centralised educational policies. As noted by Times of India, the state had unveiled its own education policy rejecting the Centre’s National Education Policy (NEP), and has declined to implement the PM-SHRI (Prime Minister’s Schools for Rising India) scheme. Reports suggest that this non-compliance has led to withheld education funds from the Centre.
India Today highlighted criticism from BJP MLA Vanathi Srinivasan, who accused the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) of politicising the issue and misleading the public. Yet, the resistance is not confined to Tamil Nadu — West Bengal and Karnataka have also expressed opposition to the exam.
“The Union government may have rejected our request… but our fight against NEET isn't over in any way,” Stalin said, signalling that the state’s demand for a more inclusive medical admission system is only gaining momentum.
