Abolish NEET or clear Tamil Nadu Bill to exempt state from exam: DMK's demand in RS
New Delhi (PTI): DMK Rajya Sabha member P Wilson on Tuesday urged the central government to either abolish medical entrance exam NEET or approve Tamil Nadu's NEET exemption Bill to exclude the state from the competitive exam.
His appeal in the Upper House of Parliament came amid a row over alleged irregularities in the conduct of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admissions to medical courses.
During the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address in the Rajya Sabha, he said the state legislative assembly had passed the Tamil Nadu Admission to Medical Courses Bill in 2021 and subsequently passed a resolution unanimously against the exam and to address the "NEET menace".
However, the Bill has been pending the "Centre's assent for nearly three years", causing "anxiety" among students and parents, he said.
"We seek the PM's immediate attention to either approve the Bill passed by the state government or bring out amendments to the National Medical Commission Act to abolish the NEET and next exam system at the national level," Wilson stated.
The NEET-UG 2024 exam was taken by around 23.33 lakh students and the alleged irregularities in its conduct, including question paper leak, has led to filing of cases in courts, including the Supreme Court, and an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The probe agency on June 23 filed an FIR in connection with the alleged irregularities in the exam held on May 5 on a reference from the Union education ministry.
The DMK leader also criticised the delay in ordering of the CBI probe, claiming this might have allowed "fraudsters" to tamper with documents and erase evidence.
Wilson also raised concerns about the handling of competitive exams, including the NEET, by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
The agency that handles crucial national-level tests is registered under the Societies Registration Act "like any other flat owner or housing society", the DMK leader said.
"From 2014 to 2024, the government has passed 427 Bills in the Lok Sabha and 365 bills in the Rajya Sabha. However, the Union government was not interested in introducing a legislation to provide statutory backing to the NTA," Wilson said and claimed that this lack of a legislation could potentially "shield the agency from accountability".
The DMK has long opposed NEET, having secured a stay from the Madras High Court on its implementation when it was first introduced in 2010 through regulations.
In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding exemption of NEET for the state, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK supremo M K Stalin on Friday said that "... we had passed a Bill unanimously in our legislative assembly to exempt Tamil Nadu from NEET and to provide medical admissions based on 12th standard marks."
"This has been sent for Presidential assent but the assent is still pending," he had said and added that the irregularities during the recent NEET exam validated the state's opposition to the exam.
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Kejriwal resorting to 'vendetta politics', says BJP after MP Sandeep Pathak booked
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Saturday accused Aam Aadmi Party's national convenor Arvind Kejriwal of vendetta politics after Punjab Police booked Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak, who recently defected to the BJP.
In an X post, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla claimed that Kejriwal is misusing the Punjab Police to settle political scores, and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has become a party to it.
"Two FIRs have been filed against Sandeep Pathak, who until recently was in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a Rajya Sabha MP and general secretary (organisation). What is baffling is the shameless, brazen vendetta politics being pursued by Arvind Kejriwal, with Bhagwant Mann complicit in it," Poonawalla said.
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"It is clear this has been done out of vendetta politics by Kejriwal, who is extremely vengeful and vindictive, and misuses the Punjab Police to pursue such political vendetta," he alleged.
Questioning the timing of the FIRs, Poonawalla said, "If these cases existed from the beginning, why were FIRs not filed earlier? If he was corrupt, why was he kept in the party for so long, especially when he was the general secretary (organisation)? Has any new material surfaced in the last few days, or has the alleged corruption occurred only now?"
He alleged that Kejriwal has an "old habit" of targeting political opponents and dissenters.
"We have seen how he has used the police against rivals, including Congress leaders. This is his old habit," Poonawalla said, referring to the withdrawal of Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh's security.
Poonawalla claimed that several leaders who had left AAP over the years, including Yogendra Yadav, Mayank Gandhi, Ashish Khetan, Ashutosh and Alka Lamba, were "hounded".
He accused the party of failing to introspect.
"Instead of introspecting on how they have changed -- from Anna to Lalu, from Lokpal to corruption -- they are indulging in vendetta politics, trying to victimise people using the strong arm of the law. This reflects an Emergency-like mindset and a dictatorial, Hitlerian mindset," he said.
According to sources, two FIRs have been lodged against Pathak under non-bailable sections.
No further details about the FIRs have been disclosed yet.
On April 24, the AAP suffered a jolt when seven of its 10 Rajya Sabha MPs quit, alleging that Arvind Kejriwal's party has strayed from its principles, values and core morals.
Of the seven MPs -- who were Pathak, Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikramjit Sahney and Swati Maliwal -- six were from Punjab.
Later, Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan officially accepted their merger with the BJP, reducing AAP's strength in the Upper House to three.
