Stir against Jallikattu ban rocks Tamil Nadu

Chennai: Jallikattu protests got stronger with over 50,000 youth gathering at the Marina beach even as numerous protests sprang up in several more parts of the state. Wednesday saw the protesters, mostly youth and students, becoming restless and coming out with acidic comments, some even bordering on secession.

Faced with mounting anger on the streets, the top brass of the state government got into a huddle as chief minister O. Panneerselvam decided to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday seeking an ordinance for conduct of the age-old sport. He will be accompanied by 51 MPs of AIADMK.

Questions were raised on India’s integrity and one of the students who spoke to television channels in Pudukottai said “We have been Tamils for thousands of years and we are part of India only for the last 70 years”. Besides, the protests seemed to be the result of pent-up anger and frustration among Tamil Nadu youth on a host of issues like the refusal of the Centre to form the Cauvery Management Board and taking back Katchatheevu, as youth were speaking about those issues too at several places.

The stand of the Centre opposing the Supreme Court verdict to form the CMB was repeatedly cited by most of the protesters who said “If the Centre and Karnataka government could refuse to follow the Supreme Court order, why should Tamil Nadu follow the SC verdict on jallikattu?”

If the solution providers delay reaching out to the students and pacifying them and patching up, things may threaten to go out of control. There are indications of extremists infiltrating into the protests and the intelligence agencies are particularly disturbed about the fact that in places like Madurai, the agitations going into the hands of organisations like Naam Tamizhar movement.

The student community is highly inflammable and all you need is to light a match stick. So far, demonstrations have been peaceful and orderly but certain incidents on Wednesday have shown things may go out of hand, said a police officer. Union Minister Pon. Radhakrishnan charged that extremists had infiltrated into the protests and are inciting the students to harden their stand. One of the protesters said they would not stop until the Prime Minister convenes a Cabinet meet and promulgates an ordinance.

The silence of administrators is proving to be fatal and Union Minister Pon. Radhakrishnan repeatedly said any ordinance could be struck down in the Supreme Court.

The agitations cut across caste, religion and political parties and in Tiruvannamalai Muslim girls were seen leading the protest.

In Salem, protesters blocked road outside Collectorate and two of the students tried to commit self immolation.

Celebrities have jumped into the jallikattu bandwagon and actors Rajnikanth, Kamal Haasan, Vijay, Dhanush, Vikram and Suriya expressed support to the protests, so too the cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin.

The agitating students came down heavily on BJP MP Subramanian Swamy who called the students as ‘Porukkis’. In Tiruchy, a group of people conducted a jallikattu of sorts.

Spiritual leaders have also voiced their support for jallikattu and flayed the hypocrisy behind the ban. Popular spiritual messenger Jaggi Vasudev, said “You ban slaughter of bulls and not the sport. On the opposition to jallikattu, he said “they are transplanted ideas without understanding realities and appreciating culture.” He said it is important to protect culture otherwise the society will lose its heart.

“Every year during Pongal time, to stay fit, youth keep away from liquor for two to three months. It is like Formula 1 for the rural youth in Tamil Nadu. You have a controlled Jallikattu, but you cannot ban the entire sport”, he concluded.