NEET has been conducted since 2013. The strong political opposition to the exam was triggered by the suicide, in 2017, of Anitha, a 17-year-old Dalit girl who was a school topper but had been unable to clear NEET.
In an impassioned debate with the Governor, father of a NEET rank-holder Ammassiyappan Ramaswamy said “clearing NEET is all about spending on coaching centres”.