Amid the alleged irregularities and controversy around the recently declared NEET UG result, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Sunday, came down heavily on the central government and called the NEET examinations a scam. He said that 'masquerading' as a measure of merit, NEET is a 'scam' and that the Centre must stop defending it as the national test went against the interests of students.
He also argued that NEET is against social justice and the poor. In a post on X, he said, "The ongoing controversies around NEET highlight its fundamentally inequitable nature. In a society where education has been denied for thousands of years, we should offer more opportunities for advancement of the oppressed. On the contrary, NEET hinders the opportunities of such students."
Stalin pitches for systematic changes
Pitching for urgent changes in the system, he said, “Despite the Union Education Minister's defense of the National Testing Agency (NTA), recent events paint a different picture. The Gujarat Police have registered an FIR over allegations of invigilators tampering with OMR sheets in exchange for monetary benefits, involving cheques worth several crore rupees and eight blank cheques. This conspiracy, implicating a school principal, a physics teacher, and several NEET coaching centres, underscores the urgent need for systemic change."
Furthermore, the Tamil Nadu CM also made mention of Anitha, a scheduled caste girl who died of suicide after her plea was dismissed by the Supreme Court in 2017. Calling her a martyr, he said, "from martyr Anitha to the countless students who have tragically taken their own lives, we have witnessed enough."
Notably, she is regarded as a crusader for justice by champions of social justice and mainstream political parties in the state.
Kerala Congress reacts
Meanwhile. the Kerala Congress also reacted to the ongoing controvrcy around NEET examinations. Taking to X, it said: "This is the marks card of Anitha, a Dalit girl from Tamil Nadu's Ariyalur district who got 1176/1200 (98%) in her 12th standard but died by suicide after her fight against NEET failed after the Supreme Court dismissed her pleas. Today, when you see candidates who failed in Physics and Chemistry score 705/720 in NEET, you realise how unfair and one-sided the system is. Anitha is a martyr in this fight.”
(With PTI Inputs)
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