Take ordinance route, says Captain

At Alanganallur DMDK leader Vijayakant called upon the state to pass an ordinance to ensure the conduct of jallikattu. He asked the Chief Minister to call for a Ministerial meeting and pass the ordinance. Raising slogans condemning PETA, the actor turned politician accused the organisation of trying to bring in foreign bulls into the country by ensuring ban on jallikattu. He also demanded the Union government to take steps to conduct jal likattu. During his address, Vijayakant called for a ban on PETA. He even accused Union Ministers like Maneka Gandhi as conniving with PETA and acting against jallikattu.  

“In Kerala, games are conducted with elephants and in north India games are conducted with camels and why not PETA raise its voice against them?” questioned Vijayakant who also warned PETA, in his own style. Adding that bulls have been taken care like children, he recalled his visit to Pollachi for a rekla race where the animals had been fed with eggs to increase their stamina. “I too have three bulls and I take care of them with much effort,” Vijayakant said. He also asked the Tamil Nadu government to act without fear and conduct jal likattu this year. 

In Madurai, students of various colleges in southern districts organised a mass protest. They assembled at Goripalayam junction and proceeded towards the Madurai Collectorate via Government Rajaji Hospital. They carried a bull along with them for some distance and set it free in front of the Collectorate. 

Urging the district administration to conduct jallikattu in the name of Yer Thazhuvudhal, Raja the co-ordinator of the protest said that if the government is for the people, they must take people’s permission. “People have overwhelmingly shown their support to the conduct of Yer Thazhuvudhal , if the government takes no steps, they may not hesitate to violate the Supreme Court ban order,” he warned.

Stating that BJP is expecting a favourable judgement from the SC on jallikattu, the party’s national secretary H Raja added “My bull will participate this year.” Speaking to reporters here on Monday, Raja blamed Sonia Gandhi, former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and then Union Minister of Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh for the ban on the valour sport. “It would have been appropriate if Stalin had gone on a fast in front of his house or the Congress party office,” he said.

Tense moments prevailed at the Government Arts College in Coimbatore on Monday as students of the college attached to the ABVP burnt the effigy of a PETA representative. The students held PETA responsible for the ban on jallikattu. The unexpected burning of the effigy drew police attention. Heated exchange of words followed. The students questioned the entry of police into the college. However, the policemen maintained that they were acting on the basis of a complaint from a college authority and forcibly took the protesting students into custody.