BJP to hold rally to take on DMK’s ‘politics over death’

Trichy: A day after the DMK held it responsible for the death of medical aspirant Anitha at a public meeting here and called for an even bigger rally at the same venue the next day, the BJP hit back at DMK and accused the party of playing politics over deaths.

BJP state president Tamilisai Soundararajan also resolved to take on the “false propaganda” unleashed by DMK by announcing another public rally on September 14, a day after the DMK holds it protest against NEET. Speaking after paying homage to S Anitha from Ariyalur who died after failing in NEET, Tamilisai accused DMK of playing “politics of death”. She said that if earlier DMK was playing “politics of money” it was now using Anitha's death for political gain. In this regard, she pointed to the death of Sadiq Batcha, a close aide of former telecom minister and DMK MP A Raja, under mysterious circumstances days before attending 2G trial. She also mentioned the mysterious killing of Udaya Kumar, a man who raised his voice against DMK leader M Karunanidhi getting honorary doctorate.

Terming NEET as essential for the poor, Tamilisai said that the national test had prevented the rich and affluent from gobbling up medical seats. She sought to answer the questions thrown by Stalin at the public meeting on Friday with answers and counter-questions while asking him to get ready to face BJP's mass movement against the DMK.

She said she and her family members would have surely cleared NEET in the first attempt had it been there in the past. “We possess the intelligence and ability to face any test,” she said. “Union health minister JP Nadda had categorically stated on April 14 that NEET exemption is not possible this year as exemption was given only for academic year 2016-17. It was the state government and the opposition that misguided the innocent students," said the BJP state president. She asked why he was silent on the “deaths of thousands of Anithas” in the Sri Lankan ethnic war. “ Why were you silent when Congress introduced NEET in 2010,” she asked. She said that BJP would train students for NEET to prevent repeat of tragedies like Anitha’s. BJP national executive member H Raja said that the leaders of DMK alliance who were protesting against NEET were suffering from victim syndrome over their successive failure. Unlike the claims of the parties which said that the underprivileged were suffering because of NEET, he said that the geographical spread of NEET was exemplary with students from various districts getting seats unlike in the past. “ Many of the schools skip syllabus of class 11 which is why students struggle to take NEET," said Raja. He appreciated the move of state government to start 412 NEET coaching centres. Union Minister for state for finance and fishing ministry Pon Radhakrishnan said that DMK had witnessed a fall whenever it played politics over deaths. This time medical aspirant Anitha was the victim. She could have prepared for NEET but was misled by the DMK. Her death and the role of those who took her to New Delhi had to be probed.

Citing data on medical admissions in the state, the minister said that the underprivileged had bagged more seats because of NEET. He said a total of 401 seats were reserved for Scheduled Caste but 424 students had secured admission. Even 31 per cent of the 193 seats that had been allocated for others were filled with students from underprivileged families, he said.