Chennai, Jan 21: The Centre has cleared the state government's jallikattu ordinance, setting the stage for an end to the protests that have rocked the state. The President is expected to give his nod after he returns from a foreign trip on Friday night.
Tamil Nadu CM O Panneerselvam said he would personally inaugurate the event. "Jallikattu will happen in the state for sure. I am happy to state that the `vaadivasal` (the gateway to the jallikattu venue) will let the roaring bulls run in line with the aspirations of students and youths," he told mediapersons at Chennai airport.
Jallikattu enthusiasts at Alanganallur said it would take one or two days to prepare for the event and said they knew what regulations would need to be followed to address cruelty concerns. Jallikattu enthusiasts at Alanganallur, where the main jallikattu event used to be held during Pongal festival, said it would take one or two days to prepare for the event and said they knew what regulations would need to be followed to address cruelty concerns.Protesters at Marina Beach in Chennai, however, are staying put saying they want a permanent solution. As the day wore on, people came with their families from all over Chennai and nearby , and the beach took on a festive look. A senior police officer said at any point of time there were around 1.5 lakh people at the beach and the total number of people who had come there must have been nearly 5 lakh.
Before leaving for Chennai on Friday, Panneerselvam said the state government had sent the draft ordinance to lift the ban on jallikattu to the Union home ministry . The Centre and Tamil Nadu government seem to have worked in close coordination with the attorney general successfully pleading in the Supreme Court that the final order on petitions regarding the ban be held back. He told the court the Centre and the state government were holding talks to find a solution. The AG said deferring the judgment would stop the situation from getting further complicated. The central clearance came within hours of a delegation of Tamil Nadu MPs meeting Union home minister Rajnath Singh and the environment minister Anil Madhav Dave. Dave promised them to work out a "permanent" solution to the jallikattu issue an indication that the ministry may later bring an amendment in existing central law removing bull from `performing animals' category.
At the Chennai airport, asked if he would inaugurate the event, the normally reticent Panneerselvam said, " As per your wish, it will happen," he told reporters at Chennai airport when he returned to the state capital in the afternoon. Asked whether the ordinance would be challenged in court, the chief minister said that everything was done based on a belief. "I do not see any scope for a ban now," he said.
The ordinance, which is expected to contain provisions prohibiting cruelty to animals and measures to ensure safety of spectators, was screened by the environment ministry too so that it can stand scrutiny in the courts. Some of the safeguards are keeping the bull within a radial distance of 15 meters, testing by authorities to ensure that animals are in good physical condition and are not administered any drugs or alcohol.The law may also lay down the penalty for inflicting pain on the bull. Sources in the Animal Welfare Board of India and PeTA said they will explore legal options after studying the ordinance.
AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala met and held discussions with Tamil Nadu chief minister O Panneerselvam, after his return from New Delhi, and other senior party leaders on the jallikattu issue and `advised' them on conducting the bull-taming sport in the state. A party release said Panneerselvam briefed Sasikala about his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Thursday.
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