Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay made his first official visit to New Delhi after assuming office and held a formal meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting, seen as an important early signal of the new TVK government's approach to Centre-State relations, covered several key demands long pending from Tamil Nadu.
Key Demands Raised
- Scrapping of NEET for medical admissions — a long-standing Tamil Nadu position
- Tamil Nadu's rightful share of central taxes under the Finance Commission
- Cauvery river water allocation — resolution of pending inter-state dispute
- Central funding for TVK government's flagship welfare schemes
- Addressing delimitation concerns affecting southern states
- Waiver of Tamil Nadu's outstanding loans to the Centre
NEET — A Priority Demand
The scrapping of NEET remains one of TVK's most prominent campaign promises and a core issue for Tamil Nadu students and families. Vijay reiterated the state's constitutional right to conduct its own medical admissions and raised the human cost of NEET in Tamil Nadu, pointing to the repeated student suicides and the examination's discriminatory impact on students from non-English-medium and government school backgrounds.
"Tamil Nadu has always believed that NEET is unconstitutional and unjust. Students who prepare for a decade through the state syllabus deserve an equal chance."
Centre–State Tone
The meeting was described as cordial by both sides. Unlike predecessor governments which often had contentious relationships with the BJP-led Centre, Vijay's visit was seen as an attempt to establish a working relationship while firmly asserting Tamil Nadu's rights. Political analysts noted that Vijay's personal popularity and TVK's strong mandate gives him significant political leverage in negotiations with the Centre.
PM Modi congratulated Vijay on his electoral victory and pledged cooperative federalism while expressing support for Tamil Nadu's development.