As Pongal nears and calls for conducting Jallikattu get louder in Tamil Nadu, AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to pass an ordinance to revoke ban on the cultural tradition.
In the letter written to PM Modi, she said, “I request you to kindly intervene in the matter to promulgate an Ordinance to amend The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (PCA), to de-notify bulls from the notification of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), so as to lift the ban on Jallikattu and preserve Tamil Nadu's culture and tradition.”
She also urged the Prime Minister to take ‘immediate’ action for conducting Jallikattu as the celebration of Pongal begins this weekend. She emphasised that no cruelty is practiced on animals during the sport.
“Bulls are worshiped as a deity by the religious in Tamil Nadu and care is always taken by the youth in taming them, without inflicting any pain on them. The ban on Jallikkattu has incensed the public of Tamil Nadu and the youth in particular. All efforts have to be taken to revoke the ban,” she stated in the letter.
The letter also asks the Ministry of Environment and Forests to de-notify bulls as ‘performing animals’.
Union Environment Minister Anil Dave, on Tuesday, had said that he hopes the Supreme Court will uphold people's sentiments over Jallikattu, saying it is a "non-violent" and "friendly" game.
The Supreme Court, in May 2014, banned the popular bull sport, Jallikattu. The court held that bulls cannot be used as performing animals either for Jallikattu or for bullock cart races anywhere in the country.
Following this, the Central government had passed a notification exempting Jallikattu from the law, which has since been stayed by the apex court.
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