New Delhi: Only a couple of days after the Medical Council of India (MCI) announced a nationwide Common Entrance Test (CET) for all medical courses in India from the next academic session, it has now been announced that the medical CET has been scrapped.

The decision came after the move by the Medical Council of India was opposed by the government of Tamil Nadu as well as pressure from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazgham (AIADMK).

The decision to introduce a common entrance test for all medical courses in India was announced by the MCI only two days ago and was waiting for the formal approval of he notification.

However, soon after the MCI decision was announced, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, urging him to think again about the move to introduce the single nation-wide CET.

According to M. Karunanidhi, the decision by the MCI was an infringement by the Union government on the autonomy of the states and hence, could not be accepted.

In his letter, M. Karunanidhi stated that the state of Tamil Nadu has shelved the entrance examinations for medical and engineering courses in 2007-08 through a legislation that was approved by the President. The move was taken to ensure that interests of students who were from socially and financially backward families were safeguarded.

Tamil Nadu had also introduced a 69 percent quota for socially disadvantaged students. Karunanidhi said in his letter that once the CET for medical courses is introduced, the state would not be able to implement the quota for financially and socially disadvantaged students.