DMK won't stop until NEET abolished: Stalin as party stages hunger strike

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)'s student wing and the medical wing began a state-wide hunger strike demanding the abolition of the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET) in Chennai on Sunday.

Tamil Nadu Minister for Youth Welfare Udhayanidhi Stalin also participated in the one-day hunger strike in Chennai organized by the DMK student wing and the medical wing.

The state-wide demonstration is against state Governor RN Ravi over his refusal to ban the NEET examination in the state and the Central government.

The hunger strike protest, which started at 9 am will continue till 5 pm. Various DMK wing cadres are going to participate in it.

TN Minister Health Minister M Subramanian, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department Minister Sekar Babu, MP Dayanidhi Maran and MP Kanimozli NVN Somu along with various DMK cadres participated in the hunger strike.

However, in Madurai, the DMK protest has been postponed to August 23 due to the AIADMK conference scheduled today.

Before the hunger strike, DMK party leaders observed a minute's silence for NEET aspirants who died by suicide in Tamil Nadu.

A man in Tamil Nadu's Chennai ended his life by hanging after his 19-year-old son died by suicide on August 13, after failing to clear the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) exam twice, police said.

According to officials, the deceased, S Jegadeeswaran (19) was an aspirant and hanged himself a day earlier after having flunked the NEET examination twice.

Earlier, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader TKS Elangovan on Saturday criticised Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi for his statement over the state's anti-National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET) bill and said that he has disrespected the Assembly resolution.

Elangovan was responding to Ravi's statement made on Saturday that he would never give clearance to the Tamil Nadu Assembly adopted bill against the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET).

"The Governor is an appointed person who doesn't have popular support. He disrespected the Assembly resolution. What is the attitude he is showing? He cannot say that. His duty is to sign or return the paper with a reason. He cannot say no to any Bill passed by the legislature," Elangovan told ANI.

"We have to fight it out, so we are conducting agitation," he added.

Meanwhile, following the alleged suicides of a father and his son after the student failed to clear the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), Tamil Nadu Minister for Youth Welfare Udhayanidhi Stalin on Friday said, "We stand with students".

Speaking to ANI, Stalin said, "We stand with students. We have been asking for a ban on NEET for almost five to six years. We have lost 20 students. Everybody will have to take moral responsibility.