Stalin slams TVK govt for 'surrendering' 151 medical seats to national quota

Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the ruling TVK government led by the incumbent C Joseph Vijay, accusing it of "surrendering" Tamil Nadu’s super-specialty medical seats after the state lost 151 seats to the All India quota.In a post on X, Stalin linked the controversy to the DMK’s earlier campaign for social justice in medical admissions."Six years ago on this very day, the DMK fought for and secured a 27% reservation for Other Backward Class students across India. Yet today, news has emerged that Tamil Nadu has lost seats in medical courses," he wrote, invoking the party’s 2020 legislative push that eventually led to OBC reservation in medical admissions nationwide.Stalin alleged that the TVK government had allowed Tamil Nadu’s super-specialty seats to “slip away” and claimed that the state’s legal team remained silent during the Supreme Court proceedings. He questioned why the senior counsel appointed by the Tamil Nadu government allegedly failed to appear and why there was "negligence from the very beginning" in handling what he described as a crucial case.The DMK chief also asked whether the government had effectively "surrendered" in court without advancing strong arguments despite having a legitimate case. He further questioned the delay in appointing senior counsel and sought an explanation for the conduct of the litigation.Raising a series of pointed questions, Stalin asked whether the state had hurriedly conducted its counselling process and declared 151 seats vacant before the second round of All India counselling.He also criticised the government for not adopting a special resolution in the Assembly opposing the transfer of Tamil Nadu’s super-specialty seats to the All India quota, despite demands from various quarters.Stalin further sought clarity on the review petition reportedly filed by the state government against the Supreme Court’s verdict of May 29, 2026.He said government doctors affected by the development were raising serious concerns and deserved a clear response from the administration."We have lost 151 super-specialty government doctors who were poised to serve Tamil Nadu in the future. This is a matter of life and death for lakhs of people in Tamil Nadu," Stalin said, arguing that the issue went beyond admissions and had direct implications for the state’s public healthcare system.The controversy follows the Supreme Court proceedings concerning super-specialty medical seats and their allocation under the All India quota, an issue that has triggered political debate in Tamil Nadu.The TVK government has not yet issued a detailed response to Stalin’s allegations, but the matter is expected to intensify political confrontation over medical education and healthcare policy in the state.- EndsPublished On: Jul 29, 2026 16:37 IST