"TN Governor disrespected Assembly resolution": DMK's TKS Elangovan on anti-Neet row

Aug 20, 2023

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], August 20 : Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader TKS Elangovan on Saturday criticised Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi for his statement over the state's anti-National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET) bill, and said that he has disrespected the Assembly resolution. 
Elangovan was responding to Ravi's statement made on Saturday that he would never give clearance to the Tamil Nadu Assembly adopted bill against the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET). 
"The Governor is an appointed person who doesn't have popular support. He disrespected the Assembly resolution. What is the attitude he is showing? He cannot say that. His duty is to sign or return the paper with a reason. He cannot say no to any Bill passed by the legislature," Elangovan told ANI. 
"We have to fight it out, so we are conducting agitation," he added. 
The DMK student wing and the medical wing are planning to stage a protest across the state against the examination on Sunday. 
Earlier, on August 14, a man in Tamil Nadu’s Chennai ended his life by hanging after his 19-year-old son died by suicide on August 13, after failing to clear the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) exam twice, police said. 
According to officials, the deceased, S Jegadeeswaran (19) was an aspirant and hanged himself a day earlier after having flunked the NEET examination twice. 
Following the alleged suicides of a father and his son after the student failed to clear the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), Tamil Nadu Minister for Youth Welfare Udhayanidhi Stalin on Friday said, "We stand with students". 
Speaking to ANI, Stalin said, "We stand with students. We have been asking for a ban on NEET for almost five to six years. We have lost 20 students. Everybody will have to take moral responsibility." 
Earlier, speaking to ANI on Wednesday Udhayanidhi Stalin had said "Students wing and Medical wing, as per our leader's instructions, are having a protest on August 20, to show how NEET has affected the students of Tamil Nadu and it has started affecting the families of the students too. I request all public, students and teachers and families of the affected to take part in this protest and why we don't want NEET in Tamil Nadu and we don't want any more deaths in Tamil Nadu." 
The DMK government has passed a Bill in the State Assembly seeking exemption from the NEET examination for the State, the bill is still awaiting consent from the state governor RN Ravi.