DMK, allies shun Guv's get-together to protest stalling anti-NEET bill

Registering protest against Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi for not sending the NEET Exemption Bill to the President after being passed twice in the state Assembly, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and its allies boycotted a get-together party called by the Governor on the occasion of Tamil New Year day on Thursday.

The DMK said that they boycotted the party in order to register their protest against the Governor accusing him of acting "against the Constitution".

Speaking to ANI, DMK spokesperson, Saravanan said, "The Governor is acting against the Constitution. He is negating the will of the people of Tamil Nadu. When the Constitution mandates that it has to be done in that way, the Governor has to do it. He is a rubber stamp. He has no other role in the Constitutional scheme of things when there is an elected government."

Stressing that the Bill was supported by every party (barring the BJP) in the Assembly, the spokesperson said that the Governor is expected to send the Bill to the President.

"We boycotted to send a signal that we will not tolerate such things. Every party in the state has said that NEET should go. The least that is expected of him is to send the bill to President," Saravanan said.

Hitting out at AIADMK for attending the party hosted by Governor Ravi, the DMK leader said that the party is "scared of the BJP".

"AIADMK probably is scared of the BJP. They are keeping silent. The people of the state are watching what the party is doing. They will teach them a befitting lesson," he said.

Notably, AIADMK had supported the Bill in the Assembly.

Ministers in the state government Ma Subramanian and Thangam Thennarassu met the Governor on Thursday urging him to send the anti-NEET Bill to the President, however, they claimed to have received no response.

Meanwhile, the BJP called the skipping of the participation of DMK and its allies "unfortunate".

"It's unfortunate the way CM, DMK & its allies behaved. Guv wanted to inaugurate poet Subramaniya Bharati's statue. After you committed to a date, you failed to turn up. I see it's an insult to the poet, said K Annamalai, TN BJP chief.