Lok Sabha polls | T.N. is medical hub of India, with some of world’s best doctors who have not cleared NEET: Udhayanidhi

Udhayanidhi Stalin criticizes NEET, slams BJP for snatching States’ rights, promises to exempt state from exam.

Denouncing the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development, Udhayanidhi Stalin, on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, said that Tamil Nadu was the medical hub of the country, with some of the world’s best hospitals and doctors, and here, many renowned doctors had not cleared NEET.

Campaigning for the party’s Erode Parliamentary constituency candidate K.E. Prakash in Othakadai in Modakkurichi, Mr. Udhayanidhi said former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami had betrayed the people of the State by joining hands with the BJP-led Union government to snatch the rights of the State. “Not only were the rights of our State grabbed, but the education, financial and language rights of many other States also met the same fate,” he said. 

Mr. Udhayanidhi said that in 2010, then Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi had opposed NEET, as, he said, students would need to spend lakhs of rupees to attend coaching classes. “Tamil Nadu has the world’s best hospitals and best doctors, who have not taken the NEET,” he said, adding that 22 medical aspirants had ended their lives due to NEET in T.N. The DMK, had in its election manifesto in 2021, said it would get the State exempted from the entrance exam, and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin is taking steps to fulfill this promise, he said.

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr. Udhayanidhi said, “Mr. Modi did not come to the State in the past 10 years, but is frequently visiting now ahead of the elections.” He called upon the people to vote for the INDIA bloc. 

The DMK youth wing leader said women had travelled 465 crore times in government buses free of cost and added that the success of this scheme was one of the highlights of the ‘Dravidian model’ of governance. 

Mr. Udhayanidhi also said the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme was benefitting 18 lakh students of classes 1 to 5 in the State, and the Telangana and Karnataka governments had planned to implement similar schemes. “The Canadian government appreciated the breakfast scheme and also implemented it in their country,” he said. 

A total of 1.60 crore applications were received under the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam, he said and 1.18 crore applications were cleared, with women receiving the basic monthly income of ₹1,000 now. “After the verification process, all eligible women will receive the assistance in five months,” he added.