CHENNAI: AIADMK General Secretary and former Chief Minister, Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) has challenged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin to disclose the “secret” they claim to possess for cancelling the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).
In a post on social media platform X, EPS urged the ruling DMK to immediately reveal their strategy. “The #Daddy_Son duo should disclose their so-called NEET secret. If they fail to do so, they should admit that the DMK misled the public with false promises, ” he stated.
EPS also demanded that the government take concrete steps to prevent NEET-related suicides.
His statement comes in the wake of the tragic death of Indhumathi, a 19-year-old student from Tindivanam in Villupuram district, who allegedly died by suicide due to fear of underperforming in the upcoming NEET exam.
Expressing his condolences to the bereaved family, EPS held the DMK government responsible for creating “false hopes” among students and keeping them in a state of confusion over NEET’s future.
The issue gained fresh momentum after Indhumathi, a student from Thadapuram village near Tindivanam, was found hanging at her home on March 1. She had completed her 12th grade from a government higher secondary school with good marks and had undergone NEET coaching at a private institute in Puducherry.
Last year, she attempted NEET but failed to qualify despite scoring 350 marks. Determined to clear the exam this time, she had been rigorously preparing and had recently obtained her OBC certificate, which she submitted along with her application.
On March 1, while her parents and brother were working in the fields, she took her own life. When they returned home in the evening, they found her hanging from the ceiling fan.
The family immediately informed the Velimedu Pettai police station, and officers arrived at the scene around 11 p.m. Her body was sent for post-mortem at Villupuram Government Medical College Hospital, and an investigation is currently underway.
The Tamil Nadu government has long opposed NEET, arguing that it disproportionately disadvantages students from economically weaker sections and Tamil-medium backgrounds.
In June 2024, the state Assembly passed a unanimous resolution against NEET, following controversies over leaked NEET-UG 2024 question papers and the postponement of NEET-PG 2024.
The ruling DMK and its allies have consistently demanded an exemption for Tamil Nadu from the national medical entrance exam.
In a May 15, 2024, editorial published in ‘Murasoli’, the DMK’s official newspaper, the party claimed that 119 NEET aspirants had died by suicide over the past eight years. The editorial emphasised that scrapping NEET was the only solution to prevent further student suicides and eliminate malpractices in the examination process.
Despite these efforts, the DMK has yet to fulfill its 2021 election promise of cancelling NEET, leading to renewed criticism from the Opposition.
With the AIADMK now demanding clarity, the political debate surrounding NEET continues to intensify in Tamil Nadu.