CPM leader Sitaram Yechury questions Centre's attempt to impose NEET without states' consent

New Delhi: Hitting out at the Modi government over the suicide of a Dalit medical aspirant in Tamil Nadu, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury Saturday sought to know how was the Centre planning to “impose” NEET examinations without taking states on board. Anitha, the 17-year-old daughter of a daily wage earner, allegedly hanged herself at her house in Ariyalur district on Friday. She was reportedly upset after it became known that Tamil Nadu will not be exempted from the ambit of National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET). She had moved the Supreme Court against NEET-based medical examinations in the southern state. “A Dalit girl — a bold petitioner against the imposition of NEET instead of the existing school results for admission to MBBS — has to unfortunately kill herself as she did not score well in NEET. “Without taking state governments on board, how does the Centre think it can impose a ‘uniform’ exam?” Yechury said in a Facebook post.

The Marxist leader said the lives of students belonging to Dalit or other marginalised communities were too high a cost to pay for such “insensitive and inconsiderate” policies of the government. The National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET) is conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for admission to MBBS/BDS courses. The exam, however, is not applicable for institutes established through an act of Parliament like the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). The NEET exam was held on 7 May this year.