Tamil Nadu’s battle against exemption from NEET, the all-India exam that admits students in medical courses, suffered a setback Friday after President Droupadi Murmu rejected a bill to exclude the state from its purview, instead permitting it to use class XII marks.

The Chief Minister MK Stalin informed the Assembly of the rejection of a bill that was cleared twice by the state legislature - in 2021 and 2022 - and had been pending with the union government since.

Responding to the rejection of the bill, Stalin who already is at loggerheads with the BJP regarding delimitation issue and Hindi imposition issue, said the southern state has been “insulted” and spoke of a “black phase in federalism”.

“Despite the Tamil Nadu government providing all necessary clarifications... the union government has rejected the exemption from NEET,” Mr. Stalin said in the assembly.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has called for a meeting of all legislative party leaders, likely to be held on April 9, to discuss the next steps in the state’s ongoing opposition to NEET, which became mandatory for medical admissions in 2017.

Emphasizing that the battle is far from over, the Chief Minister stated, “Although the Union government has turned down our plea, we will seek legal counsel on potential measures to challenge the decision within the framework of the law.”

Tamil Nadu’s resistance to NEET has been persistent, rooted in concerns about social equity. The state argues that NEET disadvantages students from economically weaker backgrounds, who often cannot afford the expensive coaching required to succeed in the exam. Instead, it has proposed admissions based on Class 12 marks to ensure fairer access to medical education.

The NEET debate has also been fuelled by several controversies, including alleged paper leaks and tragic student suicides linked to exam pressure.