TN CM Vijay Raises NEET Exemption, Delimitation Concerns At Southern CMs’ Meet

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay raised two politically significant demands at the Southern Zonal Council meeting, seeking an exemption for the state from NEET and safeguards against any reduction in southern states' representation in Parliament following delimitation.

Making his maiden appearance at the council meeting, Vijay raised the issues with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The two matters have been at the centre of political debate in Tamil Nadu. He also called for greater interstate cooperation to tackle drug abuse and sought cooperation on the blue economy and coastal security.

NEET Back In Focus

Vijay sought an exemption for Tamil Nadu from the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), the entrance examination for medical courses, arguing that the system disadvantages rural students and those from financially weaker backgrounds.

The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief urged the Centre to allow Tamil Nadu to fill seats in MBBS, BDS and AYUSH courses solely on the basis of Class 12 marks, according to sources.

Successive governments in Tamil Nadu, including the DMK government, have opposed NEET for about a decade. Vijay, who came to power three months ago, has also strongly opposed the examination. The actor-turned-politician has previously demanded that education be moved from the Concurrent List back to the State List.

The TVK wants to return to a system under which states control medical admissions on the basis of higher secondary examination results, India Today reports.

At Thursday's meeting, Vijay argued that NEET undermines Tamil Nadu's long-standing model of providing equitable access to medical education through school-based learning.

"Tamil Nadu remains firmly committed to protecting the interests of its students and ensuring equitable access to medical education," Vijay told Shah, according to sources.

The NEET issue gained further momentum following the NEET-UG paper leak in May, which triggered student protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. It eventually forced Dharmendra Pradhan to resign as Education Minister.

For Vijay, raising NEET at his first Southern Zonal Council meeting also puts one of Tamil Nadu's most persistent political issues firmly on the Centre-state agenda.

Delimitation Raises Southern Fears

The other major issue raised by Vijay was the Centre's proposed delimitation exercise to redraw parliamentary constituencies. The Centre has linked the exercise to the implementation of 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha.

Vijay said there was a "genuine" and "shared concern" among southern states that population-based delimitation could diminish their collective voice in Parliament.

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"The southern states have been at the forefront of population stabilisation, human development, and economic growth," Vijay said.

"It reflects the successful implementation of national priorities and should not result in a reduction of our representation," he added.

The southern states' key argument is that delimitation based on the 2011 Census would unfairly benefit northern states, where population growth has been higher. Southern states, which have performed better in controlling population growth, fear they could effectively be penalised by losing their share of representation in Parliament.

Vijay urged the Centre to provide a legislative assurance that no state would suffer a reduction in its "percentage share of representation" in Parliament because of its success in stabilising its population, sources said.

"Public policy must not inadvertently penalise states for fulfilling national objectives," he said.

The demand goes to the heart of the South's delimitation concern: states that succeeded in meeting national population goals do not want that success to translate into reduced political influence. By putting both NEET and delimitation on the table at his maiden council meeting, Vijay has chosen to foreground two issues with direct political resonance in Tamil Nadu while also seeking wider southern cooperation.