Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday slammed Governor R N Ravi for his support of NEET and urged President Droupadi Murmu to clear the state bill seeking exemption for Tamil Nadu from the common medical entrance test, after the number of suicides over the issue rose to 16 in the state.

Following the deaths by suicide of a son and his father here over NEET, Stalin sharpened his attack on Ravi.

While the CM said that the government would boycott the tea party to be hosted by the Governor on Independence Day, as a mark of opposition to his pro-NEET stand, Raj Bhavan announced that it was postponing the event.

Hours following Stalin's announcement and after the allies of the ruling DMK, including Left parties, said they too would keep away from the function, Raj Bhavan said the event has been deferred due to rains.

On August 12, 19-year-old Jagadeeswaran, who wanted to study medicine by clearing NEET, died by suicide after not clearing the entrance test. The following day, his father ended his life.

Pointing to their deaths, Stalin conveyed to President Murmu in a letter: "With this, the toll of students who have died by suicide due to NEET has increased to 16 in our State. These tragedies could have been definitely avoided if our bill for exemption from NEET had been given assent and the medical admissions done on the basis of +2 marks." Stalin referred to the "unfortunate consequences" due to the delay in the grant of approval to the Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Bill, 2021 and urged her to provide assent immediately.

The principal opposition, AIADMK, flayed the DMK regime for doing precious little on its poll assurance to get the test cancelled. Though the DMK has 38 MPs it did not stall Parliament on the NEET issue, and Stalin and his son Udhayanidhi, now a minister, made several "false" promises, including that they would "cancel" the test, ahead of the 2021 Assembly election only to capture power, it said.

Appealing to students to shun suicidal tendencies, Chief Minister Stalin told them to be confident and expressed hope that NEET barriers would come down crashing following a regime change at the Centre after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Taking aim at Ravi for commenting that he would never affix his signature to allow NEET to be abandoned, if he "had the power to do so", the chief minister hinted that such pro-NEET people would disappear with the change of guard at the Centre.

"The Governor's comment is irresponsible and belittles Tamil Nadu's seven-year-long anti-NEET struggle," the CM said.

"It appears that Governor Ravi wants the Bill to be shelved. NEET exam has become expensive and can be afforded only by the rich," the chief minister pointed out.

Those who cannot afford to study by spending huge sums of money on coaching centres failed in the test, he claimed, adding that things have come to such a pass that medical education is available only to those who have money.

"In spite of this, the state government brought 7.5 per cent reservation for the poor students of government schools in medical colleges. But, the Governor refuses to understand. There is a doubt that he is acting like a puppet of the coaching centres," Stalin alleged.

Stalin, Minister Udhayanidhi and leaders of various parties, including the BJP, condoled the deaths. Udhayanidhi asserted that the legal struggle against the test would continue.

"Starting from Anitha (Ariyalur District), many invaluable lives (of aspirants) were lost in Tamil Nadu due to the NEET exam method... Our conscience is shaken by the moral questions raised by their deaths," Stalin said in a statement.

"Ravi is callously making pro-NEET comments without realising how students from poor, ordinary and middle-class backgrounds are losing good opportunities due to that test. The Governor's activities appear to be indifferent to the student deaths due to NEET," the CM further said.

Following the government's decision to boycott the Governor's I-Day tea party, an official Raj Bhavan statement said the reception was being postponed on account of rain.

"In view of heavy rains and to avoid any inconvenience to the guests, Raj Bhavan decided to postpone the At Home Reception. However, the At Home Reception will be hosted soon and the date will be communicated in due course," the statement said.

Due to incessant heavy rains, the main lawns in Raj Bhavan are flooded and the meteorological department has predicted that thunderstorms and rains would continue on August 15 also, it added.

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