Tamil Nadu parties decide to meet Amit Shah, consult lawyers on NEET exemption

Chennai: The meeting of all legislative parties in Tamil Nadu, barring BJP, on Saturday decided to meet Home Minister Amit Shah and also get legal opinion on getting the state exempted from NEET.

Speaking to reporters here after the meeting Tamil Nadu Health and Family Welfare Minister Ma.Subramanian said the meeting decided to send a delegation to meet Shah.

It also decided on taking legal opinion to proceed further on getting Tamil Nadu exempted from National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), he said.

According to him, the BJP was not a party to the decision.

With the powers of state and that of the legislature to enact law being under question, an all party meeting was convened, Stalin said.

On Thursday, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced the convening of an all-party meet on Saturday to discuss the next course of action on the state getting exemption from the medical entrance exams, NEET.

Stalin also said the refusal of the Home Minister to meet a delegation of Members of Parliament from Tamil Nadu on the issue is against democracy.

Speaking in the state Assembly Stalin requested the leaders of various parties to participate in the meeting and based on the decision taken the next course of protest against NEET will be carried out.

According to Stalin, Members of Parliament from Tamil Nadu had submitted a memorandum at the President's Secretariat on December 28 listing out the ill effects of NEET and the delay in getting the President's assent for the Bill.

As the Memorandum was forwarded to the Ministry of Home Affairs for further action, Parliamentarians belonging to various parties had sought time to meet Shah.

"Till now Shah is avoiding meeting the MPs. The Home Minister refusing to meet the Parliamentarians in a democracy is an affront to the honour of democracy," Stalin had said.