Chief Minister Stalin was in Madurai to inaugurate a jallikattu arena named after his father and late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi.
The Jallikattu arena inaugurated by MK Stalin. (Screengrab)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has said caste and religious differences were created “later” to destroy the Tamil unity and urged that cultural festivals like the traditional bull-taming sport jallikattu should be conducted by people unitedly as Tamils.
In his address in Madurai after inaugurating a jallikattu arena named after his father and late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi on Wednesday, 24 January, Stalin also charged the central BJP with “enacting a drama” over granting permission to hold the sport in the state, before the Supreme Court gave a favourable verdict on the matter.
However, BJP Tamil Nadu chief K Annamalai hit out at Stalin, saying jallikattu was banned during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime by then Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh.
DMK was a key constituent in the UPA, he noted.
முத்தமிழ் வளர்த்த மதுரையில் தமிழினத்தின் தொன்மையின் சின்னமாகக் கீழடி அருங்காட்சியகம், அறிவெழுச்சியின் அடையாளமாகக் கலைஞர் நூற்றாண்டு நூலகம் ஆகியவற்றின் வரிசையில் தமிழ் வீரத்துக்கான களமாகக் ‘கலைஞர் நூற்றாண்டு ஏறுதழுவுதல் அரங்க’த்தைத் திறந்து வைத்தேன்.
மூன்றாண்டுகளில் முப்பெரும்… pic.twitter.com/8tgJOJeirw
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) January 24, 2024
At the Madurai event, Stalin recalled that DMK founder, the late CN Annadurai gave Tamil Nadu its name (it was earlier known as Madras Presidency) while Karunanidhi ensured classical language status for Tamil.
His “Dravida model government” has constructed the grand arena in this district to highlight “aeruthazvhuthal which is a symbol of Tamils’ culture,” he said.
Jallikattu is also known as “aeruthazhuvuthal”, meaning embracing the bull.
“At this juncture, what I want to tell you is–caste divisions and religious differences were created later to destroy Tamils’ unity. Let us conduct such cultural festivals unitedly with the Tamil identity,” he said.
Stalin said that in 2014, there was a situation where jallikattu could not be held in the state and three years later, a massive public protest was held at the Marina in Chennai demanding that the sport be conducted.
He charged the then AIADMK government with “unleashing violence” on peaceful protesters but the regime gave in to state-wide protests.
“But still, no permanent solution was achieved. Every year, the BJP-led Union government enacted a drama in the name of giving permission for jallikattu,” he said.
In the apex court also, the BJP government submitted it did not recognise jallikattu and bullock-cart race, Stalin said.
However, the DMK government later submitted in court that jallikattu was not a mere entertainment sport but one which was intertwined with the lives and culture of farmers and assured to conduct it with due safety measures.
Subsequently, the court gave a “historic” verdict last year allowing the conduct of the bull-taming event, he added.
Further, the three-year-old DMK government has implemented key initiatives for the region including the Keezhadi musuem, besides the Jallikattu arena.
Responding to Chief Minister Stalin’s criticism, BJP state chief Annamalai said it was the Modi-led Union government which allowed the sport, banned by the previous UPA regime, and published in a gazette in 2016, which was stayed by the apex court.
Subsequently, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asked the state government to issue a government order, which the latter did after “much insistence”, he said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
The ban against the conduct of the bull-taming sport was removed by the Supreme Court last year following the Solicitor General’s submission in favour of holding the event and the DMK had nothing to claim credit for, Annamalai added.
The Dravidian party “may take pride from the fact that the ban against jallikattu could be removed by BJP only because the DMK alliance (UPA) banned it”, Annamalai added.
The “Kalaignar Nootranduu Aeruthazhuvuthal Arangam”, named after Karunanidhi to commemorate his centenary, is spread across 66.80 acres at Keelakarai village in Madurai’s Alanganallur, famous for its jallikattu events.
It is established at an estimated cost of about ₹62.78 crore.
The chief minister had earlier made an announcement in the state Assembly that a separate grand arena will be constructed for jallikattu in Madurai.
Among others, the complex has “vaadivasal” (from where the bulls are released), a waiting area for bulls, a veterinary hospital and first aid centre and museum and the arena can hold about 5,000 spectators.
Stalin also witnessed the first jallikattu event here and presented gold rings to some of the winners, a government release said.
(Disclaimer: The headline, subheads, and intro of this report along with the photos may have been reworked by South First. The rest of the content is from a syndicated feed, and has been edited for style.)
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