Tamil Nadu’s ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has reiterated its demand for the complete abolition of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), while also calling for a significant restructuring of how education is governed in India.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the party said its opposition was not limited to alleged irregularities surrounding the examination. Instead, it argued that the national entrance test itself should be abolished and that state governments should be given full authority over education, including medical admissions.
TVK described its position as “uncompromising and firm” and proposed that education be moved from the Concurrent List to the State List of the Constitution. Such a move would transfer legislative authority over education from being shared by the Centre and states to being exercised primarily by state governments.
Recognising that a constitutional amendment could take time, the party also suggested creating a Special Concurrent List as an interim arrangement. According to TVK, this would allow states to exercise greater control over education policy until a permanent constitutional solution could be implemented.
The statement also targeted political rivals over the long running debate surrounding NEET. Without naming the DMK directly, TVK criticised parties that had promised to abolish the examination during election campaigns but failed to do so after assuming office. It said it would not engage in making promises that could not be fulfilled merely for electoral advantage.
The latest remarks come amid renewed anti-NEET protests in different parts of the country. In Tamil Nadu, opposition to the examination has remained one of the state’s most consistent political issues since NEET became mandatory for medical admissions. Critics argue that the examination places students from state board schools at a disadvantage and weakens the state’s previous admission framework.
The political debate has also intensified following the detention of rapper Therukkural Arivu after he briefly raised anti-NEET slogans outside the Tamil Nadu Secretariat in Chennai.
With its latest statement, TVK has broadened the conversation beyond entrance examinations. Rather than focusing only on the conduct of NEET, the party is framing the issue as part of a larger debate over federalism and constitutional powers, arguing that states should have greater control over education policy and medical admissions.
