TVK Calls For Scrapping NEET And Demands Full State Control Over Medical Education

A decisive political statement echoed from Chennai on July 22, 2026, as Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam reiterated its firm stance regarding national level entrance examinations in India. Amid nationwide student demonstrations and parliamentary debates over examination irregularities, the party declared that its opposition goes beyond merely reforming the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test. Party chief C Joseph Vijay emphasized that TVK maintains an uncompromising position advocating for the complete abolition of NEET, insisting that state governments must be granted full authority to manage medical admissions based on secondary school performance.

To achieve a long term structural solution, TVK advocated for transferring education from the Concurrent List back to the State List of the Constitution. Recognizing that constitutional amendments can face procedural or legal delays in Parliament, the party proposed a unique interim mechanism. It suggested establishing a Special Concurrent List to grant state governments immediate, full operational control over education and health departments, allowing local administrations to bypass mandatory central entrance tests for state run institutions.

The announcement also contained sharp political critiques directed at regional political rivals without explicit naming, accusing long standing opponents of engaging in deceptive election promises regarding test abolition. TVK asserted that it would never use false assurances for short term electoral gains, framing its policy proposal around constitutional decentralization rather than unexecutable populist slogans. The statement further urged political critics to refrain from taking credit for the ideological struggles and hard work of other grassroots movements.

Reopening the constitutional debate over educational autonomy highlights a central challenge within Indian federalism. While centralized standardized testing was introduced to maintain uniform evaluation across states, uniform entrance exams frequently put students from rural areas and state educational boards at a distinct disadvantage compared to those with access to private coaching institutes. Restoring state authority over medical admissions offers regional governments the flexibility to design fair selection processes tailored to local socioeconomic realities, ensuring equitable access to higher education for every student.