Tamil Nadu: The government to move a bill to replace the Jallikattu ordinance in the TN Assembly this evening, says Speaker P Dhanapal.
This morning, observing that a “mass movement’ and “spontaneous outpouring of emotion” paved the way for lifting of the ban on jallikattu, Tamil Nadu Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao on Monday said a Bill to replace the ordinance would be “placed’ by the State Government in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
“The unprecedented and spontaneous outpouring of emotion and sentiment in a completely orderly and peaceful manner by lakhs of youth, supported by common people across the State, has received the solidarity of Tamil people across the globe to conduct jallikattu and preserve Tamil cultural heritage,” he said, even as the opposition DMK staged a walkout.
In his maiden address to the Assembly in its first session this calendar year, Rao said, “This mass movement has paved the way for lifting the ban on Jallikattu.”
The State Government, after receiving the Centre’s assurance on its support for efforts to conduct the sport, had followed the constitutional route and issued an ordinance amending the relevant provisions of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, he said. He expressed happiness over the sport being held on Sunday in the State.
The traditional sport, which was banned by the Supreme Court in 2014, was organised in several parts of the State yesterday, following promulgation of the ordinance on Saturday for conducting the bull taming sport.
The ordinance, which establishes the circumstances in which the bull-taming sport should be held, states that the government has “decided to exempt the conduct of Jallikattu from the provisions of the said Central Act 59 (Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)”.
