As the urban local body polls are around the corner, Tamil Nadu has been witnessing a war of words between the rival leaders in the campaign trail. With NEET being brought back to the centre of politics again after the Governor pushed the DMK government's anti-NEET bill into a precarious state, the top leaders are playing a blame game around the national exam, which has amplified a locking-horn battle between DMK and ADMK. 

The local body polls, which will be held on February 19, will be testing the DMK's quality of governance and MK Stalin's leadership as the first time Chief Minister. As the entire state is going for the polls, the impasse of the DMK's government drive of repealing NEET has become a setback for MK Stalin and on the other hand, it has become a talking point for the rivals. Amid the efforts to ban the single window national exam, Stalin has been blaming the ADMK for supporting the exam during its rule. 

Ahead of the crucial battle, MK Stalin has on Thursday dared the ADMK leaders for a debate to prove who had brought NEET to Tamil Nadu. Speaking in a virtual campaign in Erode on Thursday, Stalin said, "I am ready for a debate to prove with evidence who brought NEET to the state. Let ADMK coordinator Edappadi Palaniswami and joint coordinator O Panneerselvam answer me."  

Challenging the ADMK leaders for a debate and countering the allegations kept by them that the Congress-DMK alliance was instrumental in implementing the NEET, MK Stalin has alleged that the ADMK has been lying repeatedly and Edappadi Palaniswami could be conferred with a 'doctorate' for his lies. The Chief Minister said, "When the Medical Council of India (MCI) proposed conducting entrance exam for medical admissions in 2010, the then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi wrote a letter to the then Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad opposing it." 

"The Congress in the centre too had accepted our stand and ended the NEET. The Supreme Court has also given a favourable verdict, rejecting the entrance exam. However, the scene changed when the BJP came to power in 2014 and when the stay against NEET was removed. The then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had opposed the exam, but after her demise, it was imposed during Edappadi Palaniswami's regime", MK Stalin added. 

Slamming the ADMK for failing to even disclose the rejection of anti-NEET resolution while it was in power, MK Stalin had asked whether the ADMK leaders Palaniswami and Panneerselvam have guts to reveal in which centre the NEET was conducted during the DMK rule. He further said, "ADMK only looted Tamil Nadu and nodded for BJP in Delhi."

Reacting to MK Stalin's debate challenge, Edappadi Palaniswami had said that he is ready for the debate and asked whether the Chief Minister is ready. Addressing the campaign rally in Madurai on Thursday, Palaniswami said, "We are ready and accepting the challenge from MK Stalin. Panneerselvam and I are ready to debate about the NEET and its implementation. Are you ready?. The NEET was implemented during DMK's rule in the state and Congress's regime in the centre." 

By citing that MK Stalin is lying that he will ban the NEET, Palaniswami said, "MK Stalin has been claiming that he is the best Chief Minister in India. He is the best Chief Minister in telling lies, not in the administration." It is pertinent to note that the DMK government has in September 2021 passed the anti-NEET Bill and sent it to the Governor for his consent. However, the Governor had last week sent the Bill back to the Assembly Speaker. As his action of returning back the Bill had shocked the DMK government, a special assembly session was held earlier this week in which the government passed the Bill again and has sent it to the Governor.