With the growing demand for lifting the ban on Kambala, following the Jallikattu ordinance by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka too is planning an ordinance for holding the traditional Buffalo race called Kambala which is an annual ritual in coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi in Karnataka. With assembly polls to be held in 2018 Congress government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah can’t ignore this opportunity to in road in to the coastal districts which are the BJP bastion.
Siddaramaiah on Tuesday declared if necessary the State Government will bring an ordinance for holding the event. He said his Government was in favour of holding the traditional sport event and asked the Centre to take a favourable stand as it did for Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu. However, ‘Kambala’ is different from Jallikattu event, which are rural sports.
“We are in favour of Kambala. It is an old traditional game and it has to be continued. We will examine it that whether to bring an ordinance or not. If necessary, we will do it,” said Siddaramaiah. After the revocation of ban on Jallikattu following huge agitations, the Kambala committees are reportedly planning to hold a large-scale protest in Tamil Nadu on January 28 in Moodbidri in Dakshina Kannada district.
Kambala is a traditional annual buffalo race in the marshy fields in coastal districts of the State.
He also indicted the government will raise the issue in the coming Assembly session which will began from Feb 6, he added.
He said “We are in favour of Kambala, we are for Kambala. We pressurize the Union government to take a stand in favour of this (Kambala), similar to the way in which it favoured jallikattu in Tamil Nadu,” he said.
Referring to large-scale protests planned by Kambala committees, he said there was no need for any such protest as the government was in favour of Kambala.
The chief minister also said that the issue at present with the Karnataka high court and government will wait for its verdict on the kamabala. Meanwhile the opposition BJP supported the ban lift and declared that they would support any move by the government to lift the ban.
Karnataka High Court’s division bench, headed by Chief Justice S K Mukherjee, in an interim order in November 2016 had stayed holding of Kambala on a petition by PETA challenging it in view of orders passed by the Supreme Court on jallikattu. Kambala Committees have filed an interim application, seeking vacation of the stay. The matter came up on Friday before the division bench of the High Court, which adjourned the case to 30 January.
Kambala is an annual Buffalo race which is held under the auspices local land holders and households in coastal Karnataka between November and February every year. It involves racing between pairs of he-buffaloes on marshy paddy fields.
The sport generally starts in November and lasts until March. Nearly 18 kambalas are held under the banner of Kambala Association since the last two decades.