CHENNAI: The six-day protest by the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) at Rajarathinam Stadium ended on Saturday with a victory march. While the parallel stir at the CPI state headquarters, Balan Illam, initially showed signs of continuation, with some of the agitators saying that they would carry on with their protest till NEET is completely banned, it was eventually called off around 11 pm.
The Rajarathinam Stadium protest, held in solidarity with the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP)-led nationwide agitation over the alleged NEET question paper leak, was called off on instructions from the organisations’ national committees following the withdrawal of protests in New Delhi.
News of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation set off celebrations at both venues, with protesters dancing and raising slogans hailing the victory of the protests. “While exempting states that demand exclusion from NEET is SFI’s official stand, it did not emerge as one of the key demands of this nationwide protest. Our position is that the decision on whether to adopt NEET or not should rest with individual states. We will organise separate protests to press for that demand,” said T Shamseer Ahmed, state secretary of SFI.
SFI state president S Mridhula, speaking about the slogans raised against the TVK government, said, “There is no disagreement that TN Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay should voice the state’s concerns. However, at Rajarathinam Stadium, we consciously kept the protest focused on the NEET paper leak and the centre’s accountability. Targeting the state would only divert attention from the core issue.”
At Balan Illam, many demanded permission to assemble at Marina Beach, which has been off-limits for protests since the 2017 Jallikattu agitation. While some argued that reclaiming the beach was essential to widen the agitation, others insisted that the focus should stay on securing a NEET ban and holding the centre to account.
Speakers who criticised the TVK government drew the loudest cheers. While one poster criticised CM Vijay’s silence, another asked DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin to reveal the “secret” to banning NEET, referring to the DMK’s 2021 election promise to abolish NEET and his later claim that he knew the “secret” to securing its abolition.
Outside Chennai, roughly 100 students affiliated with the SFI, CPI and DMK continued their anti-NEET protest for a fourth straight day in Coimbatore, bursting firecrackers and distributing sweets on hearing of Pradhan’s resignation. The celebrations briefly turned tense when police stopped the group at Jeeva Illam (CPI office) for lacking prior permission, leading to a scuffle.
In Tiruchy, too, protesters at the CPI office hailed the resignation. The CPI and the CPM, in separate statements, welcomed the resignation as a victory for the students and youth. CPM MP Su Venkatesan said the campaign would continue until NEET is abolished.