Governor has sent anti-NEET bill for President's okay, says Stalin

The Tamil Nadu assembly bill seeking exemption to the state from the ambit of the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test has been sent to the Centre for presidential assent by Governor R N Ravi, Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Wednesday.

Stalin told the state assembly that he has been informed by the governor's secretary that the bill has been sent to the Union home ministry to enable President' Ram Nath Kovind's assent for the same.

"As part of our struggle for NEET exemption, in the next step, we should jointly take all efforts to insist the Centre for presidential assent for the Bill," he said.

The assembly had in February adopted the ruling DMK-piloted anti-NEET Bill for the second time, after the governor had returned the one resolved last year.

Maintaining that the persistent efforts of his government led to the present development, the chief minister recalled the several steps he took in seeking NEET exemption and said immediately after the governor returned the bill, his government convened an all-party meet and discussed the issue.

The bill was passed in the assembly and sent to the governor to be forwarded to the Centre for presidential assent.

Apart from personally calling on the governor and urging him to forward the bill to the Centre, he took up the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. An all-party MP delegation met the President and submitted a memorandum in this regard, Stalin recalled.

"In continuance of these efforts, the governor, in a historical move, has forwarded the bill to the Union home ministry for presidential assent," the chief minister said.