Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay Urges Union Govt to Cancel NEET, Allow Admissions Based on 12th Marks
The Wire Staff
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New Delhi: Tamil Nadu chief minister C. Joseph Vijay on Wednesday (May 13) called on the Union government to scrap NEET-based admissions to medical courses entirely, saying the latest paper leak was conclusive proof of "structural flaws" in the national level exam. He demanded that states be allowed to fill all MBBS, BDS, and AYUSH seats under the state quota based purely on class 12 marks.
The statement came a day after the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled NEET-UG 2026, which was held on May 3 across 5,432 centres nationwide. Over 22 lakh candidates had appeared for the exam, including around 1.4 lakh from Tamil Nadu alone. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday have arrested five persons and conducted searches at multiple locations across the country in connection with the alleged irregularities related to the paper leak.
"This cancellation has shattered the hopes of lakhs of medical aspirants across the country," Vijay said, pointing out that this was not the first instance of irregularity pertaining to the exam.
Also read: 'Government Does Not Care About Our Future': Students Speak Out as NTA Cancels NEET 2026
He recalled the 2024 paper leak, when FIRs were filed across six states and the Supreme Court had directed the Union government to set up a high-level committee under former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman K. Radhakrishnan. That panel gave 95 recommendations. "Within two years, another paper leak has occurred and the examination has been cancelled," Vijay said. "This is conclusive proof of flaws and structural flaws in a national level exam."
Tamil Nadu has been among the most vocal opponents of NEET since its introduction.
The chief minister reiterated the southern state's longstanding opposition to NEET, arguing that the exam had consistently worked against students from rural areas, government schools, Tamil-medium backgrounds, and economically weaker families.
"The government of Tamil Nadu reiterates the state's long pending demand to abolish NEET and permit the states to fill all seats under the state quota in MBBS, BDS, and AYUSH courses on the basis of class 12 marks," Vijay wrote.
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