‘Medical admission norms half-baked’

Stalin says govt. has failed to keep its promise on NEET

DMK working president M.K. Stalin on Sunday hit out at the State government, saying it had acted in a hurry in announcing the procedure for admissions to MBBS and BDS courses this year. The arrangements made for medical admission were “half-baked and ridiculous,” he charged.

“The government gave a false promise that there would be no NEET for admission to MBBS/BDS courses. Many students who have scored very high marks in Plus Two examinations were unable to perform well in NEET. What will be the remedy for the situation? How will the Government Order protect them? Is there any guarantee that the court will accept the present government’s order reserving 85% of seats for State Board students and 15% for students from other streams?” he said in a statement.

He questioned the basis for allotting 15% of medical seats for CBSE students, wondering how they, despite accounting for only 10% of the student population, could be allowed to walk away with 15% of the seats.

Mr. Stalin said that by failing to get exemption from NEET and dispensing with the marks scored in the Plus Two exam for medical admission, the State government had meted out an injustice to Tamil Nadu students, particularly students from rural areas.

“The AIADMK government is showing enormous interest in supporting the BJP candidate for the Presidential election. But it should have made it clear that it would support its candidate only if the State is exempted from NEET. But the AIADMK government has mortgaged to Delhi the rights of Tamil Nadu, and people of the State will not forgive them,” he said.

‘Against natural justice’

In a statement, PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss criticised the government’s decision and said it was unfair to students from poorer backgrounds and was also against the principles of natural justice.

Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK) leader M.H. Jawahirullah also disapproved of the move, saying the State government should reconsider this decision and increase the seats for students of Tamil Nadu to 97%.