'DMK sold out medical seats...': Annamalai cites ex-health minister as protest against NEET intensifies

As the DMK intensifies its protest against the NEET exam, Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai on Wednesday urged MK Stalin's party to play an interview of a former health minister who admitted that medical seats were sold out in the pre-NEET era. "It would be great if they could play in the protest the video of DMK veteran and former Health Minister Thiru Arcot Veerasamy’s candid admission of how they sold out the medical merit list in exchange for party donation during the pre-NEET era," the BJP leader said.

Annamalai shared a clip of Veerasamy's interview where the latter narrated how he used to get funding from industrialist MAM Ramaswamy, who ran a private medical college.  

"At the time of financial needs, he (Karunanidhi) would ask me to arrange for the same in the capacity of a treasurer. And how do I do it? I would go to MAM Ramaswamy's home. MAM Ramaswamy is a well-wisher of me. He used to visit my home when I was the minister. Because he owned a medical college and I used to be the health minister. He would ask for a copy of the rank list. I would ask him why. He would say the students selected in the list would anyway opt for government medical colleges. And we (private medical colleges) would fill those vacant seats." 

"That is the reason he used to say for getting the copy. I would also send the same. Since I used to have a good connection with him, I would initially go and ask him for funds. Rs 1 crore or Rs 2 crore is peanuts for him. If I press him he would give me a minimum of Rs 5 crore," the former health minister said.

The state BJP chief's tweet came on the day the students wing of the DMK held a protest against NEET, reiterating the party's demand for the abolition of the central test for medical admissions. The Tamil Nadu Assembly recently passed another resolution, seeking NEET exemption for the state. 

The DMK has been opposing NEET for a long, claiming it was against social justice and state's rights and has been insisting that marks secured in the class 12 exams should be the criteria for medical admissions.