'Why This Stubbornness?': TN Health Minister Calls For Scrapping NEET, Shifting Medical Education To States

Last Updated:July 24, 2026, 14:13 IST

Tamil Nadu Health Minister Drkg Arunraj questioned the Centre's insistence on NEET, saying medical education should be brought under state control.

Tamil Nadu Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare Minister Dr KG Arunraj on Friday reiterated the state’s long-standing opposition to the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), arguing that health and medical education should be brought under the control of state governments instead of being governed through a centralised admission process.

Speaking at the News18 Rising Bharat Summit – South Edition in Bengaluru, Arunraj said Tamil Nadu had consistently maintained this position even before elections, stressing that a common entrance examination for millions of students across the country was difficult to administer.

“India is a federal and vast country. Our party, even before the election, took a consistent stand that let health education, medical education be brought to the state level," Arunraj said.

Questioning the Centre’s insistence on a nationwide examination, the minister added, “Conducting one common exam for lakhs and lakhs of students across is very difficult. Why have this stubbornness in conducting these exams?"

His remarks come amid the continuing political storm over NEET, which has intensified following allegations of irregularities in the examination process.

The controversy has prompted opposition parties to demand greater accountability and reforms in the conduct of the medical entrance examination, while several states, including Tamil Nadu, have renewed calls for scrapping NEET altogether.

Tamil Nadu’s Consistent Stand Against NEET

Tamil Nadu has remained one of the strongest critics of NEET, maintaining that admissions to medical colleges should be decided by the states rather than through a single national entrance examination.

Arunraj’s remarks reaffirmed the state’s demand that health and medical education be brought under state jurisdiction.

The comments also align with the position recently articulated by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay.

On July 22, Vijay extended support to the Congress-led protests over alleged NEET irregularities and criticised the detention of opposition leaders during demonstrations in Delhi.

He also reiterated his party’s demand for the complete abolition of NEET.

Vijay argued that education should be moved from the Concurrent List to the State List as the only permanent solution to abolish examinations like NEET.

As an interim measure, he proposed creating a “Special Concurrent List" to empower states with full authority over general and medical education.

Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin has also repeatedly demanded that NEET be abolished, making opposition to the examination a key political issue in the state.

News18’s Rising Bharat Summit – South Edition is being held in Bengaluru.

The summit marks the expansion of the flagship Rising Bharat Summit into regional editions and is themed “Engineering Growth: Policy. Participation. Progress."

The event focuses on governance, economic growth and public policy, bringing together policymakers and industry leaders from across southern India.

About the Author

Vani Mehrotra

Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has more than 10 years of experience in national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

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