NEET : Tamil Nadu assembly passes a landmark bill

A landmark ruling against the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) was passed unanimously by the Tamil Nadu assembly on Tuesday, 8 January, after it was reintroduced in the state.

M K Stalin, the chief minister, guided the resolution to adoption amid a flurry of desk thumping.

As far as we know, this is the first time the house of representatives has readopted the same draft of a bill twice.

It was announced that a special sitting would be held at Fort George on Tuesday. A bill aimed at exempting state students from the NEET exam and requiring that medical college admissions be based on class 12 scores.

"It is contrary to the interests of the students, especially those in rural areas and those who are economically poor," Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi had said upon returning the bill.

In spite of four BJP members walking out, all other parties supported the bill.

It proposed a bill exempting Tamil Nadu from the NEET examination for admissions to undergraduate medical courses, dentistry, Indian medicine, and homoeopathy. A 7.5% horizontal quota was proposed for government school students.

BJP, AIADMK and its allies were barred from the all-party meeting led by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin.

In February 2017, the house adopted a similar bill under the AIADMK administration, but seven months later, President Kovind withheld his assent.