Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday pressed the Centre for an exemption from NEET and sought safeguards to ensure that southern states do not lose political representation in a future delimitation exercise. Vijay raised the two politically sensitive issues at the 31st Southern Zonal Council meeting in Mahabalipuram, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and attended by representatives of southern states and Union Territories.
NEET exemption demand reiterated
The Chief Minister renewed Tamil Nadu's demand that admissions to MBBS, BDS and AYUSH courses under the state quota should be based on Class 12 marks instead of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test. Vijay argued that NEET places students from rural areas and socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds at a disadvantage. Tamil Nadu has maintained that its earlier admission system provided wider opportunities to students from different sections of society.
The issue has remained one of the state's major points of disagreement with the Centre. Successive governments in Tamil Nadu have opposed the national entrance examination and sought an exemption for the state. Vijay urged the Centre to take steps that would allow Tamil Nadu to determine medical admissions under its state quota without NEET.
Warning over delimitation
Delimitation emerged as another major issue at the meeting, with Vijay arguing that states which successfully implemented national population-control objectives should not be penalised through reduced political representation.
Tamil Nadu and other southern states have expressed concern that a future redistribution of parliamentary seats based primarily on population could increase the representation of faster-growing northern states while reducing the South's relative weight in Parliament.
Vijay sought protection for Tamil Nadu's existing share of parliamentary representation and stressed that demographic success should not translate into a political disadvantage.
The Tamil Nadu government has already stepped up its campaign on the issue. Vijay has backed retaining the present strength of 543 Lok Sabha seats and protecting the existing distribution among states. He has also supported implementing 33 per cent reservation for women without linking it to a delimitation exercise that could alter the composition of the House.
Southern states raise common concerns
The Southern Zonal Council meeting also saw other states raise questions concerning fiscal federalism, inter-state water disputes, infrastructure and political representation.
Cauvery water management featured prominently, while representatives discussed transport connectivity, coastal security, drug trafficking and disaster management. Karnataka pushed for greater cooperation on Cauvery waters, while Andhra Pradesh highlighted the need to improve rail links between southern capitals.
The zonal councils are intended to provide states and the Centre with a platform for resolving inter-state disputes and improving coordination on issues extending across state boundaries.
For Tamil Nadu, however, NEET and delimitation remain particularly important political questions. Vijay's intervention placed both before the Union Home Minister while reinforcing the state's position that greater national uniformity should not come at the expense of its education policies or political representation.