Congress, TMC & DMK walks out from Rajya Sabha in protest against NEET Exemption Bill

|HT|

Lawmakers from Opposition parties, including Congress, Trinamool Congress and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), staged a walkout from Rajya Sabha on Friday in protest against Tamil Nadu governor R N Ravi’s move to return the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) Exemption Bill. They demanded a roll-back of the decision. The Tamil Nadu assembly in September passed the bill to scrap the NEET, enabling admissions to MBBS and BDS based on class 12 marks after an aspirant died by suicide a day before his third attempt to clear the exam.

Ravi returned the bill on Thursday, saying the bill is against the interests of students from poor and rural backgrounds.

DMK member of Parliament Trichy Siva said Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin met Ravi twice and urged him to send the bill to the Central government. “But he did not. He acted against the federal spirit.”

DMK leaders insisted on discussing the issue but Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu refused to let the discussion on the matter. On Thursday, a similar walkout was staged in the Lok Sabha amid slogans against Ravi.

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