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Actor Vijay calls for NEET ban, flags bias
Vijay supported a resolution passed by the ruling DMK government in the assembly on June 28, demanding that the Union Government scrap NEET by amending the National Medical Commission
Actor Vijay, who will enter Tamil Nadu’s political arena in the 2026 assembly elections, reached out to first-time voters by taking the stance of Tamil Nadu’s Dravidian majors, advocating to scrap the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) on Wednesday .
Vijay supported a resolution passed by the ruling DMK government in the assembly on June 28, demanding that the Union Government scrap NEET by amending the National Medical Commission Act.
“NEET has lost its credibility and it has to be abolished across India,” the actor said in Chennai while speaking at an event to felicitate toppers of class X and XII. “The real truth is that the students of Tamil Nadu, especially those in rural areas from poorer, backward, most backward, and downtrodden backgrounds, have been significantly impacted by NEET.”
Vijay, who has a devoted fan base in the film industry, established the Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam earlier this year.
He is expected to split votes in his political debut in 2026 in a state where 75% of the vote share is shared between Dravidian majors DMK and AIADMK, analysts say.
S. Seeman, the founder of the Tamil nationalist party Naam Tamizhar Katchi (NTK), has previously hinted at his inclination to align with Vijay, vowing to never align with either of the Dravidian majors.
Vijay’s ideology and position on major issues in Tamil Nadu are unclear and opinion on NEET marks a significant shift in the politician’s position. Vijay’s remarks saw instant political reactions, with the AIADMK offering support and the BJP expressing criticism.
On Wednesday, DMK’s student wing protested against NEET in Chennai.
Vijay batted for state autonomy, arguing that the notion of one nation and one test is contradictory to diversity and the purpose of education. As a solution, he called for a Constitutional Amendment to create a special concurrent list for education and health.
National Eligibility cum Entrance Test has been a controversial issue in Tamil Nadu, with over a dozen students committing suicide either due to failing the exam or the fear of failure. This has been the case since the exam became mandatory in the state in 2017.
Most political parties, except BJP, are in favor of abolishing NEET. The Tamil Nadu state assembly has passed two bills requesting exemption from NEET – one by the AIADMK in 2017 and another by the DMK in 2021. Vijay made these remarks during a controversy surrounding a leak in the NEET-UG 2024 exam and the sudden postponement of the NEET-PG 2024 exam.
Additionally, a bill to eliminate NEET in Tamil Nadu, which was passed by the assembly in 2022, is currently awaiting approval from the President.
Tamil Nadu is seeking to revert to the system used before the introduction of NEET, when state governments admitted students to medical colleges based on their class XII marks.
AIADMK’s organising secretary D Jayakumar reiterated that the AIADMK stance has been against NEET. “Vijay’s comments should be welcomed. But, the DMK government has done nothing about it in the past three years,” Jayakumar said.”
BJP’s Tamilisai Soundararajan told ANI that while students are for NEET, only politicians are against it.
“It benefits rural students. Even school children studied by the government are benefitting from it. Children who studied in the Tamil medium also got selected after National Eligibility cum Entrance Test. These are the positive things about National Eligibility cum Entrance Test. It is unfortunate that the actor, sorry, politician Vijay has revealed his mind speaking like this,” she said.
