Chennai, July 17 (UNI) Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on
Wednesday informed the State Assembly that if needed, a special
session of the Assembly, could be convened to adopt a fresh
resolution seeking to exempt Tamil Nadu from the purview of NEET
exams.
When DMK President and Leader of Opposition M K Stalin raised the
issue during Zero Hour and said the government had failed to exert
pressure on the issue, the Chief Minister explained that he had repeatedly
urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to exempt Tamil Nadu from NEET
whenever he met him.
Refuting Mr Stalin's charge, he also cited several letters written by the
state government to the Centre on the issue and through memorandums
submitted to the Prime Minister.
'Whenever I get a chance to meet Mr Modi, I had insisted that TN should
be exempted from NEET as it affected poor students and those from rural
areas', he added.
'NEET is an emotional topic and we are on the same page as DMK on the
issue. The welfare of the students of the state is our priority', he added.
He said the Centre has not given any reason for returning the two resolutions,
seeking Presidential assent for exempting TN from NEET, adopted by the
Assembly.
'Only if we know the reason for it, we can correct the shortcomings in it, adopt
a corrective resolution and forward to the Centre for Presidential assent', he said
and added that 'what can we do if the Centre rejects it without assigning any
reason'.
'Only now the issue has gone to the court, where also the Centre has not disclosed
the reason for returning the resolutions back to the state government', he said.
Stating that another reminder letter would be sent to the Centre seeking the reason
for returning the resolutions, Mr Palaniswami said if there was no reply even for that,
a special session of the Assembly could be convened to adopt a fresh resolution'.
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