Karnataka Legislature passes resolution against NEET, ‘One Nation, One Election’ amid opposition

Bengaluru, Jul 25 (IANS): The Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Thursday passed resolutions against the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and ‘One Nation, One Election’, amid stiff opposition by BJP and JD(S) legislators.

Minister for Law, HK Patil proposed the resolutions in the House, following which Speaker UT Khader sought a voice vote in the House amid din.

Speaker Khader later declared that the resolutions were passed with majority vote.

Proposing the resolution against ‘One Nation, One Election’, Patil stated that India was the biggest democracy in the world and the proposal in this regard by the Centre was against the principles of the Constitution.

The law minister added that holding transparent and judicious elections was the soul of democracy.

“The ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal is dangerous for the federal system. Different states have their own frameworks regarding state Assemblies. The proposal for one election for the whole nation will focus more on the national level and less on states,” Patil stated.

“Therefore, it is urged that the central government should not proceed with the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal. The matter will also be brought to the notice of the Election Commission,” he stated.

Leader of the Opposition, R Ashoka maintained that former President Pranab Mukherjee, who was a senior Congress leader, had maintained that by conducting elections throughout the country at once, wastage of money could be prevented and the development of the nation is hampered by the present model of conducting elections.

Ashoka stated that the Congress government must ensure transparency with regards to the irregularities in MUDA and save democracy by allowing a debate in the House over it.

BJP legislators raised slogans while the resolutions were passed amid din.

A resolution opposing the proposal of delimitation of the Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies was also passed.

Further, both houses of State Legislature adopted a resolution moved by the Congress government against the all India medical seats through the NEET system and demanded reinstatement of the Central Entrance Test (CET) in Karnataka.

A resolution against the NEET Exam, moved by the Medical Education Minister Dr Sharan Prakash Patil in the Assembly and the Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar in the Council of the State Legislature was adopted.

The official resolution against the All India NEET Exam for selection of candidates for Medical courses was discriminatory and deprives the rights of the State and its students. It also urged the Centre to allow the State Government to go back to the earlier system of CET for selection of candidates for medical seats.

The resolution cited the flaws and the recent irregularities in the NEET exam and has urged the Union Government to exempt the State of Karnataka from this examination and allow it to provide admissions to medical colleges based on the Common Entrance Test (CET) conducted by the state government.

While Medical Education Minister Dr Sharan Prakash Patil moved the resolution in legislative assembly, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shiva Kumar presented in legislative council.

“The NEET examination system severely affects the medical education opportunities of poor rural students and deprives the rights of the state governments to admit students in the state government medical colleges and considering the repeated irregularities in the NEET examination, the Union Government should make necessary amendments in the National Medical Commission Act, 2019 (Central Act 30 of 2019) so that the NEET system is given up at the national level. And also the Karnataka Legislative Council unanimously urges that the Union government should immediately provide to exempt the state to of Karnataka from examination and provide medical admission based on Common Entrance Test (CET) conducted by state government,” the resolution said.

Medical Education Minister Dr Sharan Prakash Patil has been continuously opposing the NEET exam by highlighting the massive irregularities and how this system was affecting the chances of underprivileged and rural students and their dream of medical profession.