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September 4, 2019 
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A seventeen year old girl took her own life because she could not study medicine. She died because, perhaps, she hoped against hope she could pursue her dreams. Anitha grew up in Kuzhumur village in Ariyalur, one of the most backward districts in Tamil Nadu. She completed her 10th standard exams in a government-aided school with a score of 478 out of 500. Her academic excellence bestowed a scholarship to another school with hostel facilities within the same district. She accepted it and moved in to the hostel, not in the least because her own house did not have a toilet. Two years later, she attained a mark of 1176 out of 1200. Her achievement is all the more extraordinary considering she was born in a Dalit family, lost her mother when she was seven, lived in a house with a thatched roof and with her four brothers and father who was a coolie labourer in a vegetable market at Tiruchirapalli.
Students with a lesser school-leaving score in 2016 had been admitted in to government medical colleges during the previous year. Naturally, Anitha was hopeful that she could pursue her dream. In an interview, recorded sometime in July 2017, she says that she wants to serve society by becoming a doctor. Yet, society had different plans for her. Our society and its parliamentary manifestation decided that students would have to go through National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET). NEET is a common entrance exam which would be based predominantly on the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) syllabus. Tamil Nadu had been exempt from NEET in 2016 and the state’s students were under the impression that this would be the case in 2017 as well.
Repeated assurances from the Government of Tamil Nadu through Health Minister Vijayabhaskar, Chief Minister Palanisamy and Government of India through Pon Radhakrishnan and Nirmala Seetharaman swelled hope among state’s students. Yet, in what is too tragic to be described as mere ‘u-turn’, the Government of India refused to help with promulgating an ordinance. Government of Tamil Nadu, in what has become too common to be described as a farce, did not even put up a feeble resistance on behalf of its students. On 22 August 2017, the Supreme Court ordered that NEET Counselling be conducted and completed on 4 September 2017. Anitha died on 1 September 2017.
There is no doubt that the law of the land is in favour of NEET. Would it, then, not be unfair to agitate against NEET or hold the Centre and State Governments responsible for this tragedy? Not at all. NEET, by its inherent character, is against the social justice fabric of this country. It is anti-poor, anti-rural, anti-government-schooled, anti-Tamil and so on. It is court-endorsed discrimination and it must be battled politically. By the people and their representatives. It would be remiss to not remember that the very first Amendment to the Constitution of India was a direct result of the judgment in the case of State of Madras vs Champakam Dorairajan 1951. It is not illegal to fight for justice when justice has been denied or defied. It is also important to expose the Centre and State Governments on their repeated assurances and hold every single person mentioned above including Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha – Thambidurai – who had promised “good news” on NEET.
The fundamental problem with NEET is not that it is “merit” based but that it is an additional “entrance” examination which disregards school-leaving scores. Merit, in any case, is not measured in an examination where one set of students are allowed to study the syllabus for two years and another set for two weeks. Even if NEET was based on a syllabus that is uncommon for both sets, it would still fall short for the reason that any entrance test offers an immediate advantage to the urban and economically stronger groups who can access and afford coaching classes. After the Government of Tamil Nadu abolished engineering entrance examinations in 2007, there is empirical evidence of a marked increase in rural, women and first generation students gaining admission.
NEET, inherently, discriminates. NEET treats unequals equally. NEET does not account for social and educational disadvantages. Where the Government of India should ask for unity of its people, it seeks to impose uniformity of its examinations. The only way to respond is for States to not give up their rights. States must demand greater federal autonomy. States must take back the power ceded to NEET and implement education in their regions as per their requirements. Tamil Nadu has the most number of medical colleges (25) under the NEET Counselling but it does not get to have a say in how the seats are allotted. Tamil Nadu makes one of the highest contributions to the Central Tax coffers yet its farmers have been begging, protesting and pleading for the past many months for a farm loan waiver. Federalism cannot be sacrificed at the altar of so-called nationalism.
Tamil Nadu, its politicians and its people must rise to the occasion. In a manner similar to Jallikattu Protests earlier this year. With the same tenacity as the Anti-Hindi-Imposition Agitation of 1965. Endowed with the same conviction as the movement against caste discrimination in Hindu temples of 1920s and 1930s. Nearly a hundred years ago, a group of non-Brahmins started the South Indian Liberal Federation (SILF). They fought against the requirement of proficiency in Sanskrit as a prerequisite to gain admission to medical colleges. SILF, later known as the Justice Party, formed Government in 1919 and removed this obscure eligibility to studying medicine. This truly democratised the study of medicine and opened the doors to men and women who were not from the “upper caste” groups. It is not a coincidence that the Justice Party also enabled the first woman physician of the country – Muthulakshmi Reddy – to become the first Indian woman legislator in 1927. A hundred years later, it is cruel irony that NEET seems nothing more than a novel pre-requirement like Sanskrit was. Yet, the Colonial India which cheered a Muthulakshmi Reddy is now condoling the loss of Anitha as New India.
Manuraj Shunmugasundarm
Advocate and Spokesperson, DMK
Link to the Article: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/like-sanskrit-imposition-tamil-nadu-should-fight-neet-ask-for-more-autonomy/articleshow/60353359.cms
LIST OF DATES
On 24 May 2017, Madras High Court (Madurai bench) stayed the release of NEET results in an interim order.
On 14 June 2017, Supreme Court lifted the stay order of the Madras High Court.
On 1 August 2017, Thambidurai MP (Deputy Speaker) says good news on NEET is coming.
On 13 August 2017, Minister of State Nirmal Seetharaman said that the Centre was ready to exempt Tamil Nadu “ to help rural students to get admission in government medical colleges”.
On 16 August 2017, Edapadi Palanisamy-led Government submitted a draft ordinance to the Union Ministry for Home Affairs and the Chief Minister expressed confidence in obtaining an exemption for the year.
On 22 August 2017, the Supreme Court asks Tamil Nadu to go ahead with NEET counselling after the Attorney General of India expressed that the NEET Ordinance drafted by Tamil Nadu was not good in law.
http://indianexpress.com/article/education/neet-ordinance-by-tamil-nadu-not-good-in-law-says-a-g/
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/the-justice-party-torchbearer-of-reform/article7892747.ece
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