Chennai: Jallikattu protests got stronger with over 50,000 youth gathering at the Marina beach even as numerous protests sprang up in several more parts of the state. Wednesday saw the protesters, mostly youth and students, becoming restless and coming out with acidic comments, some even bordering on secession.
Questions were raised on India’s integrity and one of the students who spoke to television channels in Pudukottai said “We have been Tamils for thousands of years and we are part of India only for the last 70 years”.
Besides, the protests seemed to be the result of pent-up anger and frustration among Tamil Nadu youth on a host of issues like the refusal of the Centre to form the Cauvery Management Board and taking back Katchatheevu, as youth were speaking about those issues too at several places.
The stand of the Centre opposing the Supreme Court verdict to form the CMB was repeatedly cited by most of the protesters who said “If the Centre and Karnataka government could refuse to follow the Supreme Court order, why should Tamil Nadu follow the SC verdict on jallikattu?”
If the solution providers delay reaching out to the students and pacifying them and patching up, things may threaten to go out of control.
There are indications of extremists infiltrating into the protests and the intelligence agencies are particularly disturbed about the fact that in places like Madurai, the agitations going into the hands of organisations like Naam Tamizhar movement.
