Stalin-led meet resolves to send anti-NEET Bill to TN Guv again

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday accused Governor R N Ravi of not doing his Constitutional duty of immediately forwarding the state’s anti-NEET Bill to the Centre for getting Presidential assent. Led by Stalin, a meeting of parties that have representation in the State Assembly unanimously resolved to send again the Bill to bypass the national test in Tamil Nadu to Governor Ravi to get approval from the President.

Both the AIADMK and BJP did not take part in the meeting. The meeting, chaired by Stalin at the Secretariat, unanimously passed a resolution to convene a special sitting of the Assembly and get the Bill adopted again and send it to the Governor to forward it to the central government to get Presidential assent.

In his address, Stalin said the Governor should have immediately forwarded the Bill to the President to get his assent. However, the Governor did not do his Constitutional duty, the Chief Minister alleged. Hence, Stalin said he visited Ravi on November 27, 2021 and urged him to send the Bill to the Centre. Stalin said a Supreme Court judgment that upheld NEET was cited by Raj Bhavan in a press note on return of the Bill to the government.

“That judgment is different and the Tamil Nadu Assembly’s powers to enact law is different. That is why we are seeking the approval of the President to this Bill,” he said.

On February 1, the Governor had returned the Bill to the Assembly Speaker M Appavu for reconsideration by the House. It was passed in the Assembly on September 13, 2021. Subsequently, Stalin announced a meeting of all parties in the Assembly to discuss the future course of action. Ravi had opined that the Bill was “against interests of students especially the rural and economically poor students of the state.” (PTI)