Chennai: C. Joseph Vijay has urged the Union Government to abolish the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and allow states to conduct MBBS admissions based on Class 12 marks following the cancellation of NEET UG 2026 over an alleged paper leak.

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister made the demand a day after the National Testing Agency cancelled the NEET UG 2026 examination amid allegations of widespread malpractice and question paper leaks.

Vijay said the repeated controversies surrounding NEET had severely affected the hopes of lakhs of medical aspirants across the country and highlighted what he described as structural flaws in the national-level examination system.

Vijay calls for return to Class 12-based admissions

In an official statement, Vijay said nearly 22,05,035 candidates appeared for NEET UG 2026 nationwide, including approximately 1.4 lakh students from Tamil Nadu alone.

“The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG 2026) was conducted by the National Testing Agency on May 3, 2026 across 5,432 centres. In Tamil Nadu alone, the examination was held across 31 cities,” he stated.

Referring to the cancellation of the examination, Vijay said the incident had “shattered the hopes of lakhs of medical aspirants across the country.”

He further pointed out that this was not the first controversy involving the medical entrance examination.

CM cites repeated paper leak controversies

Vijay recalled that a similar paper leak controversy had emerged in 2024, leading to FIRs across multiple states and a subsequent Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe.

“This is not the first time NEET has been compromised. In 2024, the question paper was leaked and FIRs were registered across six states and transferred to the CBI,” he said.

The Chief Minister also referred to the high-level committee constituted by the Union Government following Supreme Court directions after the 2024 controversy.

The committee, headed by former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan, had reportedly submitted 95 recommendations aimed at reforming the examination system.

“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 stated.

Tamil Nadu reiterates long-standing opposition to NEET

The Tamil Nadu government has consistently opposed NEET since its introduction, arguing that the examination disadvantages students from rural and economically weaker backgrounds.

Vijay said the exam negatively impacts students from government schools, Tamil-medium institutions and socially disadvantaged communities.

“The Government of Tamil Nadu reiterates the state’s long-pending demand to abolish NEET and permit states to fill all seats under the state quota in MBBS, BDS and AYUSH courses on the basis of Class 12 marks,” he said.

The Chief Minister argued that admissions based on school education performance would provide a more inclusive and equitable system for students from diverse educational and socio-economic backgrounds.

Vijay has repeatedly criticised NEET

This is not the first time Vijay has publicly opposed NEET.

During a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) event in July 2024, before becoming Chief Minister, Vijay had criticised the examination system and questioned the centralisation of education policies.

He had argued that education should be shifted back from the Concurrent List to the State List to allow states greater control over their educational systems.

“Firstly, it’s against the rights of a state government. Before 1975, education was under the State List, and then the Union Government moved it to the Concurrent List — I believe this is where the issue started,” Vijay had said at the time.

He had also advocated for state-specific lesson plans and education models tailored to regional needs and diversity.

“Imagine the plight of a student who hails from a village and aspires to become a doctor,” he had remarked while criticising the current examination system.

Debate over NEET likely to intensify again

The cancellation of NEET UG 2026 and Vijay’s latest statement are expected to reignite the national debate surrounding the medical entrance examination.

While supporters of NEET argue that it standardises admissions and maintains merit-based selection across the country, critics claim it disproportionately affects students from rural, state-board and underprivileged backgrounds.

The Union Government has not yet officially responded to Vijay’s latest demand to abolish NEET and restore Class 12-based admissions for state quota medical seats.