Chennai: Following the alleged suicides of a father and his son after the student failed to clear National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), Tamil Nadu Minister for Youth Welfare Udhayanidhi Stalin on Friday said, "We stand with students."
In addition, speaking to ANI, Stalin said, "We stand with students. We have been asking for a ban on NEET for almost five to six years. We have lost 20 students. Everybody will have to take moral responsibility." Earlier on Monday, Chief Minister MK Stalin also expressed grief over the incident.
"Have confidence, do not have suicidal thoughts. Do not think of losing your life in any situation. Definitely, we can remove NEET which proves to be an obstacle to your goals. The Tamil Nadu government is working vigorously towards that," CM said in a statement.
The DMK student wing and the medical wing are planning to stage a protest across the state against the examination on Sunday, August 20. Speaking to ANI on Wednesday Udhayanidhi Stalin had said "Students wing and Medical wing, as per our leader's instructions, are having a protest on 20th August to show how NEET has affected the students of Tamil Nadu and it has started affecting the families of the students too. I request all public, students and teachers and families of the affected to take part in this protest and why we don't want NEET in Tamil Nadu and we don't want any more deaths in Tamil Nadu..." Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin had earlier written to Chief Ministers of 12 states seeking the shifting of education to the State list from the current concurrent list in order to bring an end to the NEET examination.
The DMK government has passed a Bill in the State Assembly seeking exemption from the NEET examination for the State, the bill is still awaiting consent from the state governor RN Ravi.
