CHENNAI: Shortly after assuming charge as the president of BJP’s State unit on Friday, K Annamalai caught the DMK in his cross hairs, claiming it failed to fulfil its electoral promises even after 70 days in power. While asserting that the ‘Kongu Nadu’ demand was not that of the BJP, he stoutly defended NEET, which DMK government wants removed from Tamil Nadu.
“We all know that from 2006 to 2016, a total of 29,725 students got admission to medical seats. Before the introduction of NEET, on an average, only 19 students from rural areas got medical admission in Tamil Nadu. After the introduction of NEET, however, 430 students from rural areas got medical admission,” he added. Annamalai, however, did not mention that the number of students who got medical admission in Tamil Nadu rose last year largely due the 7.5 per cent reservation brought in by the previous AIADMK government.
“This is genuine social justice and the Centre is ensuring this through NEET. We really do not know why they say they don’t want NEET. For the poor and those from ordinary economic backgrounds, NEET is a boon, whatever be the report submitted by the committee appointed by the State government. We will go and meet people of the State and enlighten them about NEET. Due to NEET, the pass percentage among students has increased,” Annamalai added.
The previous AIADMK government, headed by Edappadi K Palaniswami, revised the syllabus for two years, and out of the 180 questions in NEET, 173 were from Tamil Nadu syllabus. “So, we are at a loss as to why NEET is being opposed,” he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised the Supreme Court that all eligible persons in the country would have been vaccinated by December 31, 2021, and submitted the schedule of delivery of vaccines to each state. DMK government had charged that a higher number of vaccine doses were being supplied to BJP-ruled states, while TN was being ignored. The fact, however, is that the Centre is disbursing vaccine doses according to population as well as the number of Covid patients. “We will continue to urge the Centre to allocate more vaccine doses,” he said.
Remarks at Rasipuram about ‘bringing the media under control’ within six months, Annamalai said that his remarks were twisted. “I spoke about the ethics code for media in the newly framed IT guidelines. When this code comes into force, it will act as a check for those who provide news online. In the traditional media, there are many levels checking the veracity of the news. The BJP has great respect for the media in Tamil Nadu as well as across the country,” he said.
Asked about the description on his Twitter profile (“I am a proud Tamilian, Kannadiga and an Indian”), Annamalai said: “I am a nationalist. There is nothing wrong with that. I was selected by the Centre as a police officer and posted in Karnataka in areas where 35 per cent of the people are Tamils. But, when I come to work for the people of Tamil Nadu, I will work for them, till my last breath.” On the Mekedatu issue, he said, “Even though the BJP is in power in Karnataka, I say the Mekedatu dam should not be built,” he said.
‘Kongu Nadu not BJP’s demand, it was clerical error in Murugan’s bio’
Union Minister L Murugan on Friday said that the mention of ‘Kongu Nadu’ in his profile was just a clerical error and that there was no need to discuss that. Speaking about the matter, Annamalai said that the BJP never engaged in emotional politics and that the phrase ‘Kongu Nadu’ was mentioned in the profile of Murugan as his social identity. Asked about a district unit of the BJP adopting a resolution for Kongu Nadu, Annamalai said: “An explanation has been sought from the office bearers concerned since the party does not have such a stand. Kongu Nadu demand is not our stand. Please, let us not make a mountain out of a molehill.”