As Pongal Approaches, Demands To Permit ‘Jallikattu’ Intensify

Madurai: As the harvest season of Pongal approaches, demands to permit the traditional sport of 'Jallikattu' involving farm animals is intensifying.

On Tuesday, state opposition party DMK staged a demonstration near here urging the State and Central governments to take immediate steps to conduct bull taming sport of 'Jallikattu' during the harvest festival of Pongal later this month.

DMK treasurer M K Stalin hit out at the AIADMK regime for the "stumbling blocks" in conducting the sport and asked the Centre to "have regard for the cultural ethos" of Tamil Nadu and take steps to conduct Jallikattu. "If DMK had been in power, steps would have been taken to conduct Jallikattu," he said, addressing protesters. Alleging that the norms specified by the Supreme Court to ensure safe conduct of the sport were "breached" by AIADMK government, he said only that led to the ban on the event.

"Honourable Prime Minister Modi, we urge you not to betray Tamil Nadu," he said. Congress cadres led by former Union Minister EM Sudarsana Natchiappan and Legislature party leader, K R Ramasamy participated in the demonstration which was held at Alanganallur near here, famous for its bulls.

In 2014, the Supreme Court had banned the sport and in December last it dismissed a review petition by Tamil Nadu to review its order. In the matter related to January 2016 Central notification categorising bulls again as performing animals so as to allow Jallikattu, a Supreme Court Bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Rohinton F Nariman had reserved final judgment.

Both the state and Centre had pleaded in the court seeking nod to conduct the sport, assuring that it would be done safely and without cruelty to animals. PTI