The Maharashtra government should exempt medical courses aspirants from the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET) on the lines of Tamil Nadu, the state Congress said on Tuesday.

NEET favours students who pass std 12th from central board schools, claimed Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole. Congress is part of the ruling alliance in the state.

"Students from CBSE and other similar (central) boards are increasingly cracking NEET (in higher numbers) than those from the state board. Exam papers are getting leaked and cases of dummy students appearing for the exam have come to light," he told reporters.

"The Maharashtra government should take a decision about NEET on the lines of Tamil Nadu," Patole added.

The Assembly of the southern state on September 13 passed the Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Bill which seeks to stop medical admissions on the basis of NEET.

Patole claimed that before NEET was introduced, 71.73 per cent of students who got admission to medical colleges in Tamil Nadu were from the state board while the proportion of CBSE students was only 0.13 per cent.

But in 2020-21 the proportion of CBSE students rose to 26.83 per cent while that of Tamil Nadu state board students fell to 48.22 per cent, he added.

"It is not just a case of injustice but also of inequality. NEET is curbing the opportunities for students of state boards, many of whom are from economically weaker sections," the Congress leader said.

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