Chennai

Talking to reporters here, Natarajan said the order facilitating the ban on jallikattu was issued by her predecessor Jairam Ramesh during the UPA regime. The former AICC spokesperson, who quit the party in 2015, said the Centre could get the ban on jallikattu lifted and ensure the conduct of the annual bull-taming festival only by approaching the court. 

“Though the order has been issued by the Union government, it can be done only with the consent of the Supreme Court as the court had already passed an order on it,” she said. The former Congress spokesperson’s statement would pull the wind out of the sail of the Congress, which, along with the rest of the Opposition in the state, has been firing salvos at the BJP, particularly the Union Ministers from the state and its senior state leaders for making empty promises and not doing enough to lift the ban on jallikattu. 

Notably, senior Congress leader Sudarshana Natchiappan had taken part in an agitation organised by the national party’s ally DMK only last week demanding the Centre and State to take necessary steps to help organise the event this Pongal. 

Responding to Natarajan’s accusation, state Congress president Su Thirunavukkarasar said, “We had been organising jallikattu in the past too. The ban came in to force only after the BJP took over. It does not matter who passed the order or when. Debating that will not help organise jallikattu this Pongal. The Centre should promulgate an ordinance immediately and approach the Supreme Court to lift the ban on jallikattu.” 

Meanwhile, nearly 20,000 volunteers gatherd at Marina Beach on Sunday to raise support for conducting jallikattu this year.

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