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3 min readNew DelhiJun 12, 2026 04:16 AM IST
CM C Joseph Vijay leaves Tamil Nadu House in New Delhi to attend the NITI Aayog Governing Council Meeting on Thursday. (ANI)
Amid controversy over the NEET-UG paper leak, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday demanded that his state be permitted to fill all seats under the state quota in MBBS, BDS, and AYUSH courses based “solely” on Class 12 marks.
Vijay raised the demand during the 11th meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog, which was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Opposing the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), Vijay said that the government of Tamil Nadu is committed to protecting the rights of students. “The State is opposed to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to undergraduate medical and dental courses, as its introduction has affected the students from rural and socio-economically disadvantaged families. In view of the above, the Government of Tamil Nadu may be permitted to fill all seats under the State quota in MBBS, BDS, and AYUSH courses based solely on Class XII marks,” he said.
Vijay’s demand for allowing admission based on Class 12 marks comes at a time when the government has been facing criticism following the NEET-UT paper leak. The National Testing Agency (NTA) will conduct the Re-NEET UG 2026 on June 21 (Sunday). On NEET, Vijay’s stand is in line with his predecessor MK Stalin’s.
Vijay also sought the Centre’s support in “creating world-class start-up incubators, a venture capital ecosystem for deep-tech enterprises, and enhanced funding for applied research”, and demanded release of the Central assistance to the state.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is learnt to have demanded to set up “M-6 Task Force” under the leadership of the Prime Minister for the development of six major economic growth engines of the country—Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. He is learnt to have suggested creation of a special fund of Rs 6 lakh crore, with an allocation of Rs 1 lakh crore each to strengthen urban infrastructure in these cities.
Reddy also met the PM and submitted a memorandum seeking the Government of India’s support for a range of strategic infrastructure, education, industrial and connectivity projects critical to Telangana’s growth and India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047, said a source.
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