Chennai: Union minister of state Pon Radhakrishnan played a major role in taking an important team of jallikattu campaigners to Delhi to meet Union Ministers of Environment, Law and Home in an effort to speed up the Central facilitation for the passing of ordinance by the Tamil Nadu government to conduct jallikattu, informed sources said here.
The team of about 25 men included well-known jallikattu campaigners Karthikeyan Sivasenathipathi and P. Rajasekar besides green activist Abdul Ghani, a close associate of the late President Abdul Kalam. BJP state president Dr Tamilisai Sounderarajan accompanied the team from Chennai.
“Minister Pon Radhakrishnan took us in his car to meet the environment minister Anil Madhav Dave, first at his residence and later at his office, before going over to meet the Home and Law Ministers. He even served us lunch at his house, telling us to feel at ease as he was our brother and we must not treat him like a minister”, said a team member, requesting anonymity.
“Despite several people and offices exerting pressure, the files moved swiftly from one office to another and the Central clearances were ready by the late evening”, he said, adding, “You must remember that Minister Maneka Gandhi is an animal activist, plus there is a north Indian lobby that has been against jallikattu”.
