CHENNAI: Referring to the CBI case in Maharashtra against a person who runs a dental lab and unidentified officials of the National Testing Agency (NTA) for allegedly manipulating the marks of low-scoring candidates in the NEET-UG exam, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday reiterated that the entrance test has never been about merit.
“Yet another case proves that NEET is not about merit; it’s only about the market,” Stalin said in a post on X. “That’s why we’re saying it loud and clear, NEET is not NEAT, and we have every reason to (say so).” The chief minister also hit out at the AIADMK for maintaining silence on the issue.
“AIADMK leaders, who find time to sit as showpieces at RSS-BJP conferences, neither have the time nor the dignity to speak out against these issues,” he added.Stalin further described NEET as a “form of moral corruption”, stating that “from the question paper to the examination hall and up to the announcement of results, every stage is riddled with irregularities and malpractices”.
The CBI has booked Sandeep Jawahar Shah of Solapur, Maharashtra, who runs a dental lab, for allegedly assuring parents that he could manipulate NEET scores for Rs 90 lakh with the help of NTA officials in New Delhi. He had claimed that he could provide the altered marks six hours before the official NEET-UG 2025 results are declared.
The DMK has consistently opposed NEET since its introduction in Tamil Nadu. The opposition gained momentum following the suicide of S Anitha, a medical aspirant from Ariyalur, in 2017. In 2021, the state Assembly unanimously passed a bill seeking exemption from NEET for the state.
After the Governor returned the bill in 2022, it was swiftly readopted and sent to the President for assent. In April this year, Stalin informed the Assembly that the President had withheld assent to the bill.