DMK stand on NEET a political gimmick: Sellur K Raju

The minister was responding to the charges that DMK president MK Stalin levelled against the State government over the conduct of NEET in Tamil Nadu.

MADURAI: It was the DMK and its ally the Congress that laid the foundation for the establishment for National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) when they were in power, said Minister for Cooperation Sellur K Raju on Friday. The minister was responding to the charges that DMK president MK Stalin levelled against the State government over the conduct of NEET in Tamil Nadu.

The DMK president on Thursday said that Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami’s remark that NEET could be conducted in the State after the pandemic was over amounted to ‘outright betrayal’ of the call to dispense with the test in the State. Raju, however, termed the opposition party’s stand on NEET a political gimmick.

“It was Nalini Chidambaram, wife of former finance minister P Chidambaram, who argued in the Supreme Court for bringing NEET into Tamil Nadu. Moreover, the NEET was originally introduced by the UPA government, which the DMK was a part of. What were they doing then? Stalin is now politicising the situation for electoral benefit,” he said. The minister also said that several ‘anti-developmental’ projects, including the expansion of land for Sterlite Copper Plant in Thootukudi, were sanctioned during the DMK regime.

Cong cadre stage protest

Over 20 Congress cadre on Friday staged protests against the NEET examination at Palayamkottai in Tirunelveli district. The protesters demanded that the State and Central governments revoke it.