Get assurance from BJP for NEET exemption before forming alliance: Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin

Tamil Nadu CM challenges AIADMK to secure NEET exemption from BJP before forming alliance, criticizes lack of transparency.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Sunday (April 6, 2025) “dared” AIADMK general secretary, Edappadi K. Palaniswami to get assurances from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that Tamil Nadu would be granted exemption from the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), before he forges an electoral alliance with the BJP.

Responding to Mr. Palaniswami’s recent comments that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government was responsible for the deaths of NEET aspirants in the State (as the DMK was part of the UPA alliance during which time NEET was introduced), Mr. Stalin said as far as he recalled, the NEET was not introduced in Tamil Nadu during the tenure of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi. “It was not even introduced during the tenure of the AIADMK’s J. Jayalalithaa, but only when Mr. Palaniswami and Mr. O. Paneerselvam were at the helm as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister,” Mr. Stalin said.

Pointing out that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had stated that if elected [Congress-led government in the Centre], then States could decide to opt out of NEET, Mr. Stalin said he wanted Mr. Palaniswami to first get such an assurance from the Union Government before he allied with the BJP.

Mr. Stalin also criticised the AIADMK’s lack of transparency on its position on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025, saying while the DMK’s A. Raja and Tiruch N. Siva, had spent 30 and 20 minutes each in both the Houses of Parliament speaking out in Opposition to the Bill, the AIADMK MP, M. Thambidurai, only spoke for one-minute on the issue without offering any clarity on whether the party supported or opposed the Bill.