Hyderabad: BRS Former MP Urges Telangana to Oppose NEET Exam
Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) former MP B Vinod Kumar has called on the Telangana government to pass a resolution in both the Legislative Assembly and the Council opposing the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medical admissions. Kumar’s appeal aligns with similar moves by the governments of Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Karnataka, which have recently voiced strong objections to the exam.
Kumar has urged Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to consider withdrawing Telangana from the NEET system, citing the disadvantages it poses to local students compared to other states. The call comes amid growing criticism of NEET, which has been accused of disadvantaging students from rural and underprivileged backgrounds.
The Karnataka government, led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, recently passed a resolution in both houses of the state legislature demanding that the Union Government exempt Karnataka from NEET and allow the state to revert to its previous system of admissions based on the Common Entrance Test (CET). The resolution highlighted significant irregularities in NEET and its detrimental impact on medical education opportunities for disadvantaged students.
State Minister of Medical Education and Skill Development, Dr. Sharan Prakash Patil, who moved the resolution in the legislative assembly, and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who presented it in the legislative council, both emphasized the need for reform. The resolution calls for amendments to the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, to abolish NEET at the national level and restore state-level control over medical admissions.
In a similar vein, the West Bengal government, led by the Trinamool Congress (TMC), also moved a resolution demanding the elimination of NEET and the return to state-specific medical entrance exams. This resolution was passed by the West Bengal Assembly earlier this week.
The Supreme Court, meanwhile, has recently declined a request to cancel the NEET-UG 2024 exam, citing the potential disruption for over 24 lakh students who have already participated. The Court was addressing petitions that alleged paper leakage and malpractice during the NEET-UG 2024.
As the debate over NEET continues, states like Telangana are grappling with the implications of this nationwide exam and its impact on local students and educational fairness.
