Anbumani Ramdoss
| Photo Credit: S.R. RAGHUNATHAN
PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss on Saturday said a National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Postgraduate) (NEET (PG)) aspirant from Dharmapuri had been allotted a test centre in Jammu and Kashmir and that the National Testing Agency (NTA) has repeatedly failed to rectify the various issues in the allocation of test centres.
In a statement, Dr. Anbumani said the student had to travel to Kashmir when the exam was postponed in June, resulting in her spending a significant amount of money.
“After the exams were postponed, the NTA assured the students that they could select four preferred test centres, and one of them would be allocated. Despite this, the student was once again allocated a test centre in Kashmir. Similar to the Dharmapuri student, many other students were also allocated test centres in other States,” he said.
Despite the PMK condemning it and the NTA announcing that Tamil Nadu students would be allocated test centres within Tamil Nadu, many students, such as the one from Dharmapuri, had reported that their test centres have not been changed.
“This raises the question of how the NTA, which has repeatedly failed to rectify mistakes in the allocation of test centres, can effectively conduct the NEET (PG). Be it the undergraduate or postgraduate NEET, there have been continuous complaints of exam paper leaks, confusion in the allocation of test centres, and malpractices. Given the declining trust in the NEET, there is a growing call for its cancellation,” he said.
Additionally, Dr. Anbumani also condemned the Tamil Nadu government for filing cases against 1,500 people who participated in a rally organised by the Bahujan Samaj Party, including the murdered former BSP Tamil Nadu president, K. Armstrong’s wife and children and filmmaker Pa. Ranjith.
“The rally conducted to press for this demand was justified. Filing a case against everyone involved, including Armstrong’s 2-year-old daughter, is unjust. This highlights the mechanical and rigid approach of the police. In a democracy, there is always room for legitimate voices,” he said.
