Tamil Nadu CM Vijay Urges Centre To End NEET-Based Admissions But States To Fill Seats Through Class 12 Marks

In the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has strongly criticised the NEET examination system following the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 over alleged paper leak allegations.

In a detailed statement shared on X, Vijay urged the Union Government to completely end NEET-based admissions for medical courses and allow individual states to admit students based on Class 12 marks instead.

The statement came after the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled NEET-UG 2026 following investigations into the alleged leakage of question papers.

Vijay Says NEET Cancellation Has "Shattered" Students' Hopes

In his statement, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said the cancellation of the examination had deeply affected lakhs of students across India.
He pointed out that the examination was conducted on May 3 across 5,432 centres nationwide.

மருத்துவப் படிப்புகளில் நீட் (NEET) அடிப்படையிலானசேர்க்கைகளை ரத்து செய்யவும், பன்னிரெண்டாம் வகுப்புமதிப்பெண்களின் அடிப்படையில் மாநிலங்களே நிரப்பஅனுமதிக்க, ஒன்றிய அரசை வலியுறுத்தி மாண்புமிகுதமிழ்நாடு முதலமைச்சர் திரு.ச.ஜோசப் விஜய் அவர்களின்அறிக்கை
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— CMOTamilNadu (@CMOTamilnadu) May 13, 2026

According to the statement:

• Around 22,05,035 candidates appeared for NEET-UG 2026 across India
• Nearly 1.4 lakh candidates were from Tamil Nadu
• The exam was conducted across 31 cities in Tamil Nadu alone

Vijay said the cancellation had now left medical aspirants uncertain about their future.

"This cancellation has shattered the hopes of lakhs of medical aspirants across the country," the statement read.

Tamil Nadu Renews Demand To Abolish NEET

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மருத்துவப் படிப்புகளில் நீட் (NEET) அடிப்படையிலான சேர்க்கைகளை ரத்து செய்யவும், பன்னிரெண்டாம் வகுப்பு மதிப்பெண்களின் அடிப்படையில் மாநிலங்களே நிரப்ப அனுமதிக்க, ஒன்றிய அரசை வலியுறுத்தி மாண்புமிகு தமிழ்நாடு முதலமைச்சர் திரு.ச.ஜோசப் விஜய் அவர்களின் அறிக்கை#CMJosephVijay‌ pic.twitter.com/R1G6on3Scy

— CMOTamilNadu (@CMOTamilnadu) May 13, 2026

Using the latest controversy as an example, Vijay once again repeated Tamil Nadu's long-standing opposition to NEET.

The Chief Minister argued that repeated paper leak incidents prove there are serious "structural flaws" in the national-level examination system.

According to Vijay, this was not the first time NEET had been compromised.

He referred to the NEET 2024 controversy, where allegations of paper leaks and irregularities had also triggered a nationwide debate.

Vijay Refers To 2024 NEET Leak Controversy

In the statement, Vijay recalled that FIRs were registered across six states during the NEET 2024 controversy and that the matter was later transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

He also mentioned that the Supreme Court had earlier directed the Union Government to form a high-level reform committee headed by former ISRO chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan.

According to Vijay, the committee had submitted 95 recommendations aimed at improving examination security and transparency.

However, despite those recommendations, another paper leak controversy has now emerged within two years.

"Despite all this, within two years, another paper leak has occurred and the examination has been cancelled. This is conclusive proof of flaws and structural flaws in a national-level exam," Vijay said.

"NEET Disadvantages Rural And Government School Students"

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister further argued that NEET has consistently disadvantaged students from weaker social and educational backgrounds.

According to the statement, students affected the most include:

• Rural students
• Government school students
• Tamil medium students
• Economically disadvantaged families

Vijay said Tamil Nadu has opposed NEET "since its very inception" and believes the system creates unequal opportunities for many deserving students.

Demand To Restore Class 12-Based Admissions

The Chief Minister urged the Union Government to abolish NEET-based admissions entirely and restore state-level control over medical admissions.

He demanded that states should once again be allowed to fill medical seats based on Class 12 performance.

The statement specifically called for state quota seats in:

• MBBS courses
• BDS courses
• AYUSH courses

to be filled using higher secondary marks rather than a national entrance examination.

Political Debate Around NEET Intensifies Again

The latest remarks from Vijay come at a time when political debate around NEET has intensified across the country following the 2026 paper leak controversy.

Several opposition leaders and student groups have accused the examination system of repeated failures and weak security arrangements.
The cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 has also triggered protests and anger among students who spent years preparing for the examination.

CBI Probe Underway

Meanwhile, the CBI has formally begun investigating the alleged NEET paper leak network.
Multiple arrests have already been made across different states, including Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Bihar and Uttarakhand.

Investigators are probing allegations that question papers or "guess papers" matching actual exam questions were circulated through coaching-linked networks, WhatsApp groups and intermediaries before the exam.

Tamil Nadu's Long Opposition To NEET

Tamil Nadu has historically remained one of the strongest opponents of NEET.
Political parties in the state have often argued that the examination system benefits urban coaching culture while harming students from state board and rural backgrounds.

The latest cancellation has once again revived the state's demand for exemption from NEET and restoration of Class 12-based medical admissions.

With the controversy growing larger and the CBI investigation continuing, the debate around the future of NEET is expected to intensify further in the coming weeks.