A day after the Central Government gave its nod, the Tamil Nadu Government on Saturday cleared an Ordinance to enable the holding of popular bull-taming sport Jallikattu in the State.
The Ordinance was signed by Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act will be amended through this Ordinance.
Chief Minister O Panneerselvam announced on Saturday that Jallikattu would be held in three locations in the State on Sunday.
However the protesters refused to budge till a permanent solution was found to the issue and PETA was banned.
The pro-jallikattu protests continued for the fifth day on Saturday across Tamil Nadu with the youth and students continuing to stay put at the venues, including the Marina, the epicentre of the Statewide stir, here.
Jallikattu supporters also staged rail blockade at Madurai even as train services continued to remain affected due to the ongoing stir despite the assurances by the Chief Minister.
Panneerselvam while speaking to reporters at Fort Saint George in Chennai said, “The Governor has signed the Ordinance promulgated by the Government of Tamil Nadu as suggested by the Union Government. We are thankful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who stood by us and extended all help for the promulgation of the Ordinance.”
The Chief Minister will inaugurate Jallikattu at Alanganallur, famous for conducting the rural sport, at 10 am. In other areas, Ministers from the respective regions will inaugurate the sport at 11 am, Panneerselvam said.
“I urge the youths, students and the general public to make the jallikattu events across Tamil Nadu a grand success by participating in large numbers,” he said.
He thanked the Prime Minister, who, he said, “was responsible for the approval of several Central Government Departments and President Pranab Mukherjee in a single day.”
He also lauded the students, youths and the general public for their ‘absolutely’ peaceful protests in the matter without causing any law and order issues.
AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala also thanked Modi for “understanding the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu and having supported” the State Government’s efforts to ensure conduct of jallikattu.
The AIADMK Government’s continuous efforts in the lines of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and the ‘dignified’ protests taken forward by young men and women had “reclaimed the bravery sport for us,” she said.
“I consider Tamils’ rights and sentiments as (my) two eyes. That is why I had earlier issued a statement in support of the students and young protesters.
I made the Government keep up sustained efforts for conduct of jallikattu,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister also said all efforts are being made to fulfil the cultural aspirations of the people of Tamil Nadu.
“We are very proud of the rich culture of Tamil Nadu. All efforts are being made to fulfil the cultural aspirations of Tamil people,” he tweeted.
Modi said the Central Government is fully committed to the progress of Tamil Nadu and will always work to ensure the State scales new avenues of progress.
His statement came a day after the Centre, moving swiftly, cleared a draft ordinance to allow jallikattu, paving the way for Tamil Nadu to promulgate it to end the widespread protests that have paralysed the state for last five days.
The Union ministries of Home, law and Environment cleared the ordinance last night.
Answering a question on the criticism against the State Government on the jallikattu issue, the Chief Minister later told reporters that such criticisms are common in public life.
Recalling the long battle in courts on the jallikattu issue, Panneerselvam in a statement said ever since 2006, the sport had come across several barriers.
As the State-wide protests including at the Marina beach here by tens of thousands of protesters entered the fifth day, Panneerselvam said a draft Bill to replace the Ordinance and amend the PCA Act paving the way for holding jallikattu without any hindrance will be introduced and adopted in the Tamil Nadu Assembly’s session which begins on January 23.
The Chief Minister said the assent of the President to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 by Tamil Nadu was received on Friday night. “The assent for the Ordinance (amending the PCA Act) has been obtained from Governor also,” he said, adding, “our dream to conduct jallikattu this year has come true.”
Several people across the State welcomed the decision, saying jallikattu was part of Tamil culture and steps should be taken immediately to make it a permanent feature.
Despite the official announcement made by the Chief Minister himself, the youth who have been staging a sit-in at various places in Tamil Nadu, including the Marina Beach refused to disburse. “We will call off the agitation only after a permanent solution is spelled out for conducting Jallikkattu,” said one of the youth leaders at Marina Beach.
But most BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu are of the view that the agitation has been hijacked by anti-national and pro-Eelam activists. “I do have strong evidence to believe that the Dravidian fanatics and Islamist organisations are behind the agitation. Otherwise there is no need of raising pro-Tamil Eelam and anti-Narendra Modi slogans in these demonstrations,” a senior BJP leader H Raja told The Pioneer over telephone from Karaikudy.
He said a student by name Vignesh Vasudevan was brutally assaulted by various Islamic activists for holding a national tricolour in a demonstration at Coimbatore demanding the lifting of the ban on Jallikkattu. “Moreover, most of the demonstartors were displaying placards with pictures of slain lTTE leader Prabhakaran, Osama bin laden and Palani Baba (the founder of Al Uma),” added the BJP leader.
Tamil Nadu BJP chief Tamilissai Sounderarajan said Thowheed Jamaat, an Islamist organisation, was actively supporting the agitators. “It is understandable. The recent income tax raids on a group of educational institutions owned by a prominent community member have rattled them. They are trying to create confusion among the people,” said Sounderarajan. She pointed out that there was no logic behind the anti-Narendra Modi and anti-BJP slogan being shouted by the demonstrators.
A senior Congress leader said the anti-Modi and anti-BJP slogans could be because of the indifference of the Centre towards the demand made by the youth from the State for the conducting of Jallikkattu. More than the demand for lifting the ban on Jallikkattu, what stood out in these protest demonstrations were slogans for Cauvery water, abolition of National Eligibility and Entrance Examination and release of the Rajiv Gandhi assassins undergoing life imprisonment in Tamil Nadu jails. Though Abdul Rehman, the spokesman of Thowheed Jamaat refused to speak, the social media administered by him was full of details about the news of the agitation for Jallikkattu.
Officials in charge of law and order are worried over the fact that the Republic Day parade is hardly five days away. “The Marina Beach area, venue of the sit-in has to be cleared well in advance for the Republic Day parade,” said a senior police official.
The woes of the common man continued unabated as Southern Railway was forced to cancel /partially cancel many trains leaving Chennai and coming to Chennai due to Rail Roko agitations by various pro-Jallikkattu protesters.
Meanwhile, DMK MlAs, MPs and party workers, led by its Working President M K Stalin, began a fast in Chennai on Saturday demanding permanent removal of the ban on jallikattu. DMK cadres and party functionaries from various districts are also participating in the fast.