Chennai: DMK working president M.K. Stalin on Saturday urged the Centre to remove bulls from the list of performing animals and asserted that such a measure alone would be a permanent solution to save jallikattu.
Addressing the protesters at a fast by his party, he said jallikattu should be held every year and there should be no hurdles in future for the sport. He also listed several issues including refusal of the Centre to form the Cauvery Management Board and refusal of the Centre to give relief for drought and Vardah cyclone and said such issues should also be addressed now.
He also criticised Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam for reacting to the issue belatedly and refusing to meet the protesting students. The students who started their protest wanted to meet the Chief Minister, but he did not accept their demand. DMK founder C.N. Annadurai and leader M. Karunanidhi had not refused to meet the students when they were ruling the state, Stalin said.
He also charged the state government to suppress the protests by arresting the youth at Alanganallur and added that the repressive action led to a bigger gathering of students at the Marina.
Describing the protests as ‘Marina revolution’, Stalin said the agitation remined him of the 1965 anti-Hindi agitations when students sacrificed their lives for Tamil. He also greeted the students and youth for the jallikattu protests which would find its place in history.
