A new controversy surrounding the national medical entrance examination, NEET, has reignited Tamil Nadu’s long-standing opposition to the test. Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Monday appealed to the Union government to discontinue NEET-based admissions and instead permit states to select candidates for medical courses using Class 12 marks.

Tamil Nadu has consistently opposed NEET since its introduction, arguing that a single, nationwide entrance test disproportionately benefits students from affluent urban backgrounds and English-medium schools. According to the state’s position, talented students from rural regions, government schools, and vernacular-medium institutions are placed at a structural disadvantage under the current system.

In a statement shared on social media platform X, Vijay said the recent cancellation of the exam due to alleged irregularities demonstrates deeper systemic weaknesses. He pointed out that a similar controversy had surfaced in 2024, when question paper leaks led to FIRs being filed in multiple states. The matter was later transferred to the CBI, and an expert panel chaired by former ISRO chief Dr. K. Radhakrishnan had submitted 95 reform recommendations. Despite these corrective measures, Vijay noted, another breach has occurred within two years.

Calling the repeated lapses evidence of fundamental flaws in the examination process, the Chief Minister reiterated Tamil Nadu’s demand that the Centre abolish NEET. He requested that states be allowed to fill MBBS, BDS, and AYUSH seats under the state quota strictly on the basis of Class 12 scores.

The issue has also seen legal battles. In November last year, the Tamil Nadu government approached the Supreme Court after the President withheld assent to the state’s NEET Exemption Bill — legislation unanimously passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly to restore admission procedures based on higher secondary marks.

Before NEET became compulsory nationwide in 2017, Tamil Nadu followed a Class 12-based admission model. During the UPA government period, the state had received approval to continue its system without entrance examinations, arguing that consistent academic performance should weigh more than a single competitive test.

With the latest developments, the debate over NEET’s fairness and viability has once again taken centre stage in Tamil Nadu’s political discourse.