AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa on Thursday said the decision of the Medical Council of India (MCI) to hold common entrance test (CET) for medical admission in the country would pose a threat to the 69 per cent reservation introduced when she was the Chief Minister.
In a statement here, Ms. Jayalalithaa said though she had urged Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi to prevail upon Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to give up the CET as it would affect the interests of the students from poor families, he had not done anything.
“Besides claiming that he had written to the Centre and the CET had been withheld, the Chief Minister accused me of blowing small issues out of proportion. Is CET a small issue for Mr Karunanidhi?” she said.
Ms. Jayalalithaa said if Mr. Karunanidhi had really put pressure on the Centre, the MCI would not have taken the decision to conduct CET.
“He has connived with the Centre in its move against social justice. The Chief Minister, an avowed champion of state autonomy, should have urged the Centre to give up CET,” she added.
As regards hike in the price of petroleum products, she said it was the result of the Centre's decision to allow petroleum companies to increase the price depending on the rate in the international market.
“In the current year alone the price has been increased eight times,” she added.
