NEET controversy: TN slams Centre; protests erupt in West Bengal

The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday (June 13) criticised the Centre over alleged irregularities in the conduct of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for medical admissions, stating that awarding grace marks was 'unacceptable' and amounted to fraud.

The growing resentment and protest across the country to holding the NEET only strengthened the DMK’s repeated plea to abolish the screening test, State Health Minister Ma Subramanian said.

“The National Testing Agency has to be blamed for the irregularities and confusion arising due to the conduct of the test, especially awarding grace marks. What was the basis for granting grace marks and has this decision been communicated to the NEET aspirants?” Subramanian asked.

Mental agony

The irregularities and confusion have only caused mental agony to 23 lakh candidates who appeared for the test, he told reporters here and claimed that none from Tamil Nadu were given grace marks.

Earlier in the day, the Centre informed the Supreme Court the decision to give grace marks to 1,563 NEET-UG 2024 candidates for admissions to MBBS and BDS courses has been cancelled and that they will be given an option to appear for re-test on June 23.

“The call to scrap NEET is now being heard all over India and the DMK president and Chief Minister M K Stalin had been insisting on doing away with the test. The union government should come forward to abolish NEET exam at least now,” Subramanian said.

The Health Minister accused former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami of allowing NEET into the state despite his party supremo and late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa opposing it.

Demanding justice for the aspirants, Subramanian said NEET has denied many students, especially those with rural background and economically weaker, an opportunity to access medical education. 

Protest over NEET-UG row in West Bengal

Protests were held near the West Bengal Education Department's headquarters in Salt Lake on Thursday, alleging irregularities in the medical entrance exam NEET-UG and delay in the commencement of admissions in state-run colleges.

Expressing solidarity with the students over the issue of NEET-UG, the TMC demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe.

With placards in hands, members of the All India Democratic Students' Organisation (AIDSO) were on the way to the Bikash Bhavan in Salt Lake near Kolkata when they were stopped by the police.

The police initially tried to pacify the protestors and remove them from the area. However, as they were firm on moving forward, police detained some of them and whisked them away in vehicles.

Future jeopardised

One of the protesters claimed that the future of many aspiring doctors has been jeopardised because of the row over NEET-UG.

Also, frustration among students is rising as even a month after the higher secondary results were announced, the admissions in state-run colleges did not begin, while private colleges have already begun the process, he said.

'Playing with students' future'

TMC spokesperson Santanu Sen alleged that the BJP-led government at the Centre was playing with the future of students.

"This is one of the biggest scams of the BJP-led central government. The BJP is playing with the future of lakhs of students. We demand a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into this entire NEET-UG scandal, which has affected around 24 lakh students," said Sen, who is also a doctor.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan rejected the allegations of paper leak in NEET-UG, saying there is no evidence of it.

The Centre told the Supreme Court that the decision to give grace marks to 1,563 NEET-UG 2024 candidates for admission to MBBS, BDS and other courses has been cancelled and they will be given an option to take a re-test on June 23.

(With agency inputs)