CHENNAI: The state legislative assembly is scheduled to meet on Tuesday to reintroduce and pass the anti-NEET Bill, which is heavily dependent on retired judge Justice A K Rajan committee's report.
The committee found that NEET "undermined the diverse societal representation in MBBS and higher medical studies, favouring mainly the affordable and affluent segment of society."
This is the seventh special sitting of the legislature since 2011. The BJP MLAs will attend the meeting and stage a walk out after opposing the Bill. "It is very regrettable that the governor returned the Bill. The chief minister convened an all-party meeting immediately and based on a resolution, a special sitting has been convened and the Bill would be sent again. We hope the governor understands the sentiments of the people and sends the Bill to the President for his assent," health minister Ma Subramanian told TOI. BJP state general secretary Karu Nagarajan alleged that the meeting was to help only private medical colleges that had been betraying the interests of the poor students, while the NEET was supportive of the state government students.
According to official sources, the previous AIADMK regimes held special sittings on six occasions, including one in December 2011 urging the Kerala government to amend its law to raise water storage to 142ft.
It passed a resolution to protest India's participation in the Commonwealth meet in Sri Lanka in November 2013. The OPS government saw the famous Jallikattu Bill being passed unanimously in January 2017, while a special meeting was held a month later to move a no-confidence motion against the cabinet headed by EPS in February 2017. Subsequently, two meetings were held in 2018, urging the Centre to set up the Cauvery management board and withdraw its nod to prepare a detailed project report to build the Mekedatu dam.
As per Constitution, the governor shall either give assent or reserve it for assent of the President or return the Bill for consideration of the amendments.
If he returns the Bill, the amendments recommended by him are considered and the Bill as amended is again presented to him for his assent. Sources said not less than four Bills had been sent by governors in the last seven decades of the Tamil Nadu assembly for reconsideration, including The Madras Essential Articles (Control and Requisitioning) (Temporary Powers) Re-enacting Act, 1956, which was subsequently amended by the assembly and council and obtained assent of the President.
