Jallikattu: Centre clears ordinance

Chennai/New Delhi, Jan 20

Moving swiftly, the Centre tonight cleared an ordinance on Jallikattu, paving the way for the Tamil Nadu Governor to promulgate it in an effort to end the protests that have paralysed the state for the last four days.

Following up on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assurance to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, the ministries of Home, Law and Environment vetted the state’s draft ordinance and cleared the amendment that will denotify the bull from the list of “performing animals”.

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This will ensure that provisions of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act will not apply to the bull.

The ordinance has been forwarded to the state government, a Home Ministry spokesman said. It has been sent without the need of referring it to the President of India. The Tamil Nadu Cabinet is expected to meet tomorrow morning to clear the ordinance and recommend it to Governor Vidyasagar Rao for promulgation. Rao, who is also the Governor of Maharashtra, is reaching Chennai tomorrow morning.

Jallikattu bull-taming sport, an age-old annual event during Pongal, is very popular in Tamil Nadu.

The Centre’s move came as Tamil Nadu has been brought to a standstill by a shutdown and protests by students, youths and other sections demanding immediate staging of the traditional sport in Alanganallur, epicentre of Jallikattu, and other places. The protesters have said they would not withdraw the agitation until the event is held.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the Supreme Court that the Centre was in talks with Tamil Nadu to find a way out in the matter after which the court agreed not to pass judgment for a week on the Jallikattu issue. Though political parties have been kept away from the ‘youth uprising’, main Opposition party DMK staged a statewide rail roko agitation. — PTI