Friday, September 18, 2020

TN parties flex muscles in assembly in prep for polls

TN parties flex muscles in assembly in prep for polls

3-Day Session Ends With Neet & NEP Taking Centre Stage

Julie.Mariappan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:18.09.2020

With an assembly election around the corner, the ruling AIADMK and the DMK-led opposition used the brief assembly session, convened amid the Covid-19 pandemic, to showcase their political credentials. A belligerent opposition took on the government for its failure to get Neet exemption and “exposed” the government’s stand on the National Education Policy. For its part, the EPS government passed a unanimous bill for 7.5% Neet quota for government students in its bid to regain lost ground to opponents. The three-day session helped the parties wake up from the Covid-induced hibernation and warm up for elections.

There was good deal of posturing in the assembly with both chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and opposition leader M K Stalin flexing their muscles on Neet, an issue that’s likely to hold centre stage for a while. Stalin accused the government of lacking commitment in taking up the issue with the Centre while the CM tried to lay the blame for introducing Neet on the erstwhile UPA regime, of which the DMK was a constituent.

With the Covid-19 pandemic, Neet and the National Education Policy setting the narrative, Palaniswami and health minister C Vijayabaskar went on combat mode. “The statements of the chief minister and health minister were marked by blatant lies and conveniently hid facts like how the DMK stayed the Neet through legal route until the party was in power and opposed it in the Parliament. We brought out several issues from NEP to scam in PM-Kisan to PMAY to 50% OBC quota in medical admission,” former minister and DMK MLA Thangam Thennarasu said. Even as its attempts to extend the session by seven days failed, the opposition gave more than 30 notices to call the attention of the ministers to urgent matters of public importance, such as reopening of schools, drinking water and ‘lack of support’ to local bodies in Jal Jeevan Mission.

With just months to go for polls, the AIADMK announced its intention to seek amendments to the Indian Penal Code to make stringent the punishment for crimes against women and children. “It gave an opportunity to positively talk about the good things we have done in handling Covid pandemic. Passing 19 bills in a day is a record of sorts,” said minister K Pandiarajan. The creation of a new university, Anna University and reconstitution of an existing university as ‘Anna Technological and Research University is a pathbreaking step and a bill to regulate the Public Trusts has far-reaching implications said the minister. The Congress tried to remain relevant by accusing the government of being scared to take on the Centre on Neet and NEP. The notable absentee was AMMK leader T T V Dhinakaran.

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