NEET Students' Protest: Actor-politician C Joseph Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has reiterated its opposition to the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), calling for its complete abolition and advocating a major constitutional overhaul to hand exclusive control of education to state governments. The statement, issued on Tuesday, comes amid renewed national debate over NEET and ongoing student protests in Delhi demanding action over alleged examination irregularities.
Reaffirming what it described as its "uncompromising and firm stand," TVK said the national medical entrance examination should be abolished instead of being modified or restructured. The party argued that the issue extends beyond the entrance test itself and requires broader reforms in the way education is governed in India. According to TVK, state governments should have complete authority over education, including admissions to medical courses.
To achieve this, the party proposed transferring education from the Constitution's Concurrent List to the State List, giving individual states exclusive legislative powers over the sector.
Acknowledging that such a constitutional amendment could take time, TVK also proposed an interim arrangement. The party said, "If there are any legal or procedural hurdles in doing so, a Special Concurrent List should be created as an interim measure until they are resolved to grant powers to state governments."
It maintained that such a mechanism would allow states to exercise full control over education policy, including medical education, until the proposed constitutional changes are implemented.
Explaining its broader approach, the party added, "This is our vision for both a permanent and an interim solution. Our victorious leader (Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay) has already emphasised this," according to a statement reported by PTI.
Without directly naming any political party, TVK also criticised what it described as misleading political campaigns centred on NEET. The statement accused unnamed rivals of engaging in "fraudulent politics" by making election promises to "scrap NEET ourselves" despite lacking the constitutional powers to do so.
The remarks are widely seen as an indirect reference to the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which had promised to abolish NEET during the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly election campaign.
TVK asserted that its own position differs because it focuses on securing constitutional authority for states rather than making commitments that cannot be implemented under the existing legal framework.
The party also cautioned against what it described as the unethical practice of "putting their own label" on the ideas, work and struggles of others, urging political opponents to refrain from targeting TVK.
