A special session of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly will be convened to adopt another resolution against NEET, in the wake of the Governor returning the Bill already passed in the House, said Health Minister M. Subramanian on Saturday.
Addressing reporters after a multi-party meeting chaired by the Chief Minister, Mr. Subramanian said Assembly Speaker M. Appavu would decide the date for the special session. “We will discuss the objections raised by the Governor [to the earlier legislation] and adopt a Bill. We will send it to the Governor for him to forward it to the Union Government for Presidential assent,” he said.
The Minister expressed the hope that even though the AIADMK boycotted Saturday’s meeting, it would attend the special session.
Mr. Subramanian also made it clear that the urban local body elections slated for February 19, would not come in the way of holding the Assembly session.
Earlier, moving a resolution in the all-party meeting, he said NEET had not only affected poor and middle class students but also deprived the State governments of their right to admit students in medical colleges. “The Bill to dispense with NEET was adopted since NEET favours those who have the wherewithal to attend special coaching classes and undermines the relevance of school education,” he explained.
Mr. Subramanian said though in a democracy the Governor was expected to send the resolution adopted in the Assembly to the Union Government, he had chosen to return it. “Legal experts and people with neutral opinions have taken exception to the Governor’s argument that the Justice A.K. Rajan committee’s arguments [on the basis of which the Bill was passed] are wrong. The people of Tamil Nadu will not approve the stand of the Governor that exemption to NEET is not necessary,” he reiterated.
