CHENNAI: DMK president and former Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday criticised the TVK government over the loss of 151 super specialty medical seats to the All India quota, invoking the DMK's 2020 legislative push that secured 27% OBC reservation in medical admissions nationwide.
“Six years ago on this very day, the DMK fought and won 27% reservation for OBC students across India. Today, we get news that the State is losing its medical seats,” Stalin said, drawing a contrast between the DMK's past record and the TVK government's handling of the case.
Referring to a Supreme Court order dated May 29, 2026 directing that unfilled super-specialty seats be surrendered to the All India pool, Stalin said the TVK government had let the seats “fly away in the air” and accused TVK led State government of remaining silent before the apex court.
“Why did the senior counsel appointed by the State government fail to appear?” Stalin asked, questioning the delay in engaging senior legal representation for the case.
He further asked why the state had shown “negligence from the very beginning” in a case of such significance, and questioned the circumstances behind letting down in court without any strong arguments being placed, despite the merits favouring the State.
Stalin also alleged that the state conducted its counselling in haste, declaring 151 seats vacant even before the second round of All India counselling and asked whether this was done deliberately. He said the government had also failed to move a special resolution in the last Assembly session opposing the transfer of Tamil Nadu's super-specialty seats to the All India pool, despite demands to do so.
“What happened to the review petition the Tamil Nadu government filed against the Supreme Court verdict?” Stalin asked, adding that affected government doctors themselves were raising these questions.
Describing it as “a matter of life and death for lakhs of people in Tamil Nadu,” Stalin said the state had lost 151 senior government doctors who would have served in super-specialty roles in the future, and demanded that the TVK government owe an explanation to government doctors and the public.