Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay renewed the state's demand to scrap the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medical admissions following fresh controversy over the NEET-UG 2026 examination. The 2026 NEET was mired in allegations of paper leaks, leading to its cancellation and a re-test scheduled for June 21, 2026 — the third instance of examination controversy in recent years.
The 2026 NEET Controversy
- NEET-UG 2026 paper leak alleged — multiple FIRs filed across states
- Delhi court remanded three accused in NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case
- Original examination cancelled — re-test scheduled for June 21, 2026
- Approximately 24 lakh students across India affected by cancellation
- Tamil Nadu students among the worst affected given high medical aspirant population
Vijay's Position
CM Vijay used the 2026 NEET controversy to reinforce TVK's longstanding demand for scrapping the examination. He argued that repeated paper leaks and examination irregularities demonstrated that NEET is not only educationally unjust but administratively unmanageable — and that Tamil Nadu's own merit-based system using Class 12 marks was far more transparent and equitable.
"Each paper leak proves what Tamil Nadu has been saying for years — NEET is a failed system that destroys the dreams of lakhs of students. Tamil Nadu has the right to conduct its own admissions." — CM Vijay, June 2026
Legislative History
Tamil Nadu's legislative assembly has passed resolutions against NEET on multiple occasions — under both DMK and AIADMK governments. The Bills passed were withheld by the Governor and never received Presidential assent. Vijay's TVK government is expected to pass a fresh resolution in the upcoming Assembly session and pursue constitutional remedies.
The issue also connects to TVK's broader education agenda: abolishing English-medium bias in competitive examinations, strengthening Tamil-medium education, and restoring state autonomy in higher education admissions.
National Context
The NEET controversy in 2026 follows a similar pattern to the 2024 NEET paper leak scandal. The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts NEET, has faced repeated criticism for examination management. Several opposition parties at the national level have also called for a review of the NTA's functioning and NEET's continued validity.