The DMK staged a state-wide protest demanding that the ban on jallikattu be lifted with a day to go for the festival of Pongal.
The protest was led by working president MK Stalin, with Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi, and former Union Minister TR Baalu participating in a demonstration outside the collectorate in Chennai. The opposition party blamed the Centre and the State governments for not doing enough to revoke the ban on the sport. “Jallikattu is our tradition and now Central and State government has failed to get us the permission. Today we are protesting all over TN. On an occasion when we have to celebrate it with joy, we are now on streets,” said Stalin.
Lashing out at Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan and BJP's state president, the DMK leader said, "Pon Radhakrishnan and Tamilisai kept saying that Jallikattu will happen till yesterday. Pon Radhakrishnan said that after BJP makes Jallikattu happen, Dravidian parties will vanish away from TN, but Pon Radhakrishnan should understand that nobody can even come close the Dravidian parities.”
The state-wide agitation also comes a day after the Supreme Court said it was not possible to deliver the verdict on jallikattu before the beginning of the Pongal festival. The apex court termed it an “unfair request” and declined to hear an interlocutory application seeking interim relief on lifting the ban on the traditional bull-taming sport. The court also said a draft of the judgement has been prepared but it is unfair to ask the bench to pass orders.
Stalin went on to say, “The SC order was like a bolt from the blue to us. There were orders against jallikattu in DMK regime also, but it was the Karunanidhi strategy that made Jallikattu happen in spite of this. it was the AIADMK that floated all the regulations on jallikattu set by the SC.”
The top court had reserved orders on petitions challenging the BJP government’s 2016 notification that sought to remove the bull from the performing animals list.
In open defiance of the Supreme Court’s observation on Thursday, groups like the Naam Tamilar Katchi conducted jallikattu in a village in Cuddalore district. Twenty-eight people were, however, arrested by the police for conducting the sport.
The Supreme Court had in May 2014 banned the bull-taming sport, jallikattu. The court held that bulls cannot be used as performing animals either for jallikattu or for bullock cart races anywhere in the country. Following this the central government had passed a notification exempting jallikattu from the law, which has since been stayed by the apex court.
Jallikattu has not been held for the last two years since the 2014 ban.
Political parties in Tamil Nadu including the state government have been urging the Centre to pass an ordinance to “remove the legal impediments” that would pave the way for the lifting of the ban. Chief Minister Panneerselvam had also written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to promulgate an ordinance considering the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu.
Hitting out at the Modi government, Stalin noted, “659 ordinances have been promulgated so far in India, ordinance is nothing new to them. Under Modi , so far 22 ordinance has been promulgated. When Modi can bring an ordinance to appoint a secretary for himself , can't he bring an ordinance to save TN tradition?”