Setback for Tamil Nadu amid Hindi row with Centre, President rejects anti-NEET bill

Reacting to the rejection, Stalin, who is in a dispute with the BJP-led central government over key issues such as delimitation exercise and imposition of Hindi ahead of next year’s elections, said Tamil Nadu has been insulted and called it a “dark period in federalism”. Despite the Tamil Nadu government providing all necessary clarifications, the central government has rejected exemption from NEET,” Stalin said in the assembly. The Tamil Nadu government’s bid to exempt the state from NEET, the nationwide entrance exam for medical admissions, suffered a setback on Friday when President Draupadi Murmu rejected a bill allowing the state to admit students based on Class 12 marks. Chief Minister MK Stalin informed the assembly of the rejection of the bill, which was passed by the state legislature twice in 2021 and 2022 and was awaiting approval from the central government since then. In June last year, the assembly had unanimously passed a resolution urging the central government to scrap NEET and allow states to determine admissions based on school performance. Reacting to the rejection, Stalin, who is in a tussle with the BJP-led central government over key issues such as the delimitation exercise and imposition of Hindi ahead of next year’s elections, said Tamil Nadu has been insulted and called it “a black spot in federalism”. Despite the Tamil Nadu government providing all necessary clarifications, the central government has rejected exemption from NEET,” Stalin said in the Assembly.