TN parties protest NEET, NEXT in Parl, AIADMK walks out

Dravidian Majors Register Strong Opposition To Both Exams

Julie.Mariappan @timesgroup.com

Chennai:02.09.2019

Accusing the Centre of depriving poor and rural students of a chance to study medicine by insisting on national-level competitive examinations, National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and National Exit Test (NEXT), the two principal Dravidian parties opposed The National Medical Commission Bill, 2019, in Rajya Sabha on Thursday. The ruling AIADMK MPs walked out as a sign of protest when the motion was put to vote, after failing to get ‘any assurance’ from the Centre.

The bill envisaged a National Medical Commission to conduct NEET in English and other languages, besides specifying the regulations for the common counselling for admission to UG and PG super-specialty seats in all medical institutions. The commission will also conduct NEXT for granting licence to practice medicine and for enrolment in the state or national register. DMK MP Trichy Siva asked for ‘division of votes’ on his amendment challenging the conduct of NEET. The result was 61 – yes, and 106 – no, while four abstained. Another amendment sought against NEXT too was rejected by majority of the House.

Earlier, AIADMK MP Vijila Satyananth said the state was ‘frustrated and agitated’ over the conduct of entrance tests that lacked common syllabus. “The standardized medical exam faces unprecedented opposition in every corner in our state… Our children are forced to appear for NEET in CBSE syllabus. So, bring a common syllabus for the whole of India and then have a common entrance test,” the MP said. The competitive tests only resulted in private coaching centres thriving and the proprietors becoming multi-millionaires, she said. The commission’s mandate to determine fees in respect of 50% seats in private medical institutions would only result in the rich grabbing the rest of the seats, she added.

Siva alleged the admission of students belonging to backward classes and scheduled castes had drastically come down with the advent of entrance tests. “We had seven students committing suicide in our state because of NEET. Despite scoring high, they could not get through NEET,” he said, seeking exemption. The DMK MP hit out at the Centre for forcing the UG students to appear for NEXT and thereafter for NEET for post graduate courses. “Through this bill, everything is being centralized…Tamil Nadu is agitated,” the MP said, accusing the Union government of snatching away the powers of the state, despite health coming under the state list.

AIADMK skipped triple talaq vote in Rajya Sabha deliberately, says Stalin

Chennai:DMK president M K Stalin on Thursday accused the AIADMK of staging a drama over the Triple Talaq Bill, which was passed by the Parliament. It received the President’s assent on Thursday. Stalin was in Ambur campaigning for the party candidate ahead of the August 5 Lok Sabha election in Vellore Lok Sabha constituency. Speaking to Muslim party leaders in Ambur, Stalin said though AIADMK Lok Sabha member and deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam’s son, P Ravindranath Kumar, spoke in support of the bill, AIADMK leaders called it ‘a slip of the tongue’. “How can it be a slip of the tongue when the MP spoke in detail in support of the bill and the BJP? I was happy that the AIADMK opposed the bill in Rajya Sabha. But when the voting was taken up, AIADMK MPs walked out of the House. They walked out deliberately to help the government,” said Stalin. TNN