The Opposition party staged a walkout alleging that the DMK did not give them the opportunity to discuss the death of NEET aspirant Dhanush.
Before the Bill against the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) was tabled in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, the AIADMK staged a brief walkout from the Assembly on Monday, September 13, alleging that the ruling party did not give them the opportunity to discuss the death of 20-year-old NEET aspirant Dhanush, who allegedly took his own life over the fear of failing the exam for the third time. However, leaders of the AIADMK later addressed the media outside the Assembly and said that it will support the Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Act 2021 that was tabled in the Assembly by CM Stalin.
Speaking to the media outside the Assembly, Opposition leader Edappadi K Palaniswami blamed the DMK-led government for the 20-year-old student’s death. EPS alleged that the government did not provide proper clarity on whether NEET will be conducted in the state or not, which confused parents, teachers as well as students, they said. They, however, said that they will support the Bill.
On Sunday, Dhanush, a resident of Koolaiyur village in Salem district was found dead in his room. After completing Class 12 from a private school in Masilapalayam near Mettur, Dhanush appeared for the NEET exam twice and reportedly could not attain the desired marks to pass the exam. According to Dhanush’s family, he was severely depressed after the first two attempts and had been dedicated to preparing for the controversial entrance exam for the third time. Dhanush was the younger son of Sivakumar and Revathi, and belonged to a Most Backward Caste (MBC) community. Sivakumar (52) works as an operator at a private firm in Mettur. Dhanush’s elder brother, Nishnath, is doing an Engineering course.
Following the student’s death, Chief Minister MK Stalin had said that they will pass a resolution against NEET and fight a legal battle to repeal NEET.
Reacting to the student’s death, Edappadi on Sunday, accused the DMK of being responsible for the student’s death and questioned the poll promise made by the DMK to repeal NEET if they come to power.
“What happened to the promise of the DMK government to cancel the NEET exam, which has pushed Dhanush, a student who would have become a doctor with a good score, if they had cleared all speculations and asked students to prepare for the exam without fear and optimism? You said you had a secret, when will you use it?”
Source: The News Minute