Villages in Tamil Nadu's Madurai district are geared up to host Jallikattu, the controversial bull taming game, with many strict restrictions put in place following a Supreme Court order. A Ganesh Nadar takes a stock of the preparations.
With the Supreme Court reinforcing its stay on jallikattu, the state BJP hopes it can persuade its party leadership to bring in an ordinance. But this is a path filled with risk, reports R Ramasubramanian.
The apex court fixed August 30 for final hearing of the matter to decide on the Constitutional validity of Jallikattu.
'The BJP is so keen to use this opportunity to make its foray in a state where it hardly exists, says Amulya Ganguli, that it has silenced the vociferous animal rights activist in its ranks -- Maneka Gandhi.'
There were incidents of stone-pelting and burning of vehicles and sundry items at various places in protest against the police action.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam President M Karunanidhi on Wednesday assured to revive the banned bull-taming sport 'jallikattu'.
'What is surprising is the scale and spontaneity of the mobilisation and the social profile of the mobilisation.' 'Not just the youth, but women, children and families are part of this now.' 'This is completely unprecedented.'
Twenty competitors were injured, three of them seriously, in the popular 'Jallikattu' (taming the bull) event held at nearby Palamedu as part of Pongal harvest festival.
Trashing Tamil Nadu's bull-taming festival, Dr S Chinny Krishna, vice chairman Animal Welfare Board of India, say that Jallikattu is not just unjust to the bulls but is also illegal the way it is carried out. Sriram Balasubramanian reports.
AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala also lashed out at the Congress, her party's arch rival Dravida Munnnetra Kazhagam, and the Bharatiya Janata Party over failure to conduct the sport.
The governments at the Centre and in the state were unprepared to handle the massive response to the large numbers of people, as they were not aware of the groundswell of public admonition that was against the Establishment, says N Sathiyamoorthy.
A 17-year-old boy was gored to death and 40 others were injured in a Jallikattu (bull taming) event at Malayakovil village in Pudukottai district, police sources said.
Impending elections... upholding cuture and tradition... the reasons could be manifold behind the Narendra Modi government's decision to lift the ban on the sport of bull taming in Tamil Nadu, nearly two years after the Supreme Court ruled in favour of animal rights outfits who claimed that the animals were being treated cruelly in the name of tradition
"Various organisations and anti-social elements had infiltrated the pro-Jallikattu protests (at Marina) with the intention of diverting it," he said.
The minister said the Centre will soon keep its stand clear in front of SC.
While Rajini said the protests by the students 'should be etched in golden letters', Haasan questioned police force on the students.
The satta market is accepting bets on how many times Modiji will mention Nehru at his election rallies, says A Ganesh Nadar with a wink.
The harvest festival of Pongal was celebrated across Tamil Nadu on Friday, though the festivity was low key in southern districts, including Madurai, following the Supreme Court ban on the bull taming sport of Jallikattu.
In a relief to Jallikattu supporters, the Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to stay the new legislation passed recently by the Tamil Nadu assembly but warned the state government not to allow commotion on the streets, reminding that law and order was its prime duty.
As the news of the apex court order came in, villagers in Alanganallur, Palamedu and other areas in this district immediately ended their two-day fast, which they had undertaken to protest against the January 12 court order. Pongal was celebrated with renewed vigour in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu on Tuesday as people welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to grant conditional permission to Jallikattu, by bursting crackers and dancing on the streets.
If the idea was to garner AIADMK votes with or without the three faction leaders after the party broke ties with the NDA, it may not work after all, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
The situation is unlike any other legislation/ordinance that governments at the Centre and states had passed on earlier occasions after the higher judiciary had held certain laws, orders or decisions ultra vires of the Constitution, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
Wednesday's Vikravandi by-election has become a referendum on the Stalin government, notes N Sathiya Moorthy.
A new entrant, whether a popular actor or not, has not been able to sweep the polls, as their fans had hoped for. Given a proven pattern, it should hold true for Vijay as well. Or, something drastically has to happen between now and 2026, asserts N Sathiya Moorthy.
Sasikala's letter to the prime minister on the issue comes days after Chief Minister O Panneerselvam urged the Centre to promulgate an ordinance for the conduct of the sport.
A man was gored to death and 100 others were seriously injured in a Jallikattu (bull taming) event at Papappan Vidudhi in Pudukkottai near Tamil Nadu on Saturday. Ranganathan, 40, was a resident of Nerunchipatti village. He was not a participant but had come to watch the event, when a chased bull gored him to death. The Supreme Court had recently laid down guidelines in the conduct of the event to prevent casualty among people and cruelty to animals.
Bowing to demands from opposition parties and others, Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday announced a Commission of Inquiry to go into the circumstances leading to the violence during the recent pro-Jallikattu stir at the Marina and elsewhere and the alleged police excesses.
Rediff.com's Ganesh Nadar shares his experience after witnessing Tamil Nadu's annual bull-taming festival, which is celebrated as part of the harvest festival of Pongal.
Rare snow leopard sighted in Himachal's Chicham village.
According to DMK, the voters are already consolidated on ideological lines, hence the impact of anti-incumbency, whether against the BJP Centre or the DMK state may not be too much, notes N Sathiya Moorthy.
'We shot in minus 8 degrees, and Ranbir and Bobby were bare-bodied. That was very tough!'
Today, with the Lok Sabha polls only months away, any inter-state dispute over the Cauvery water dispute has the potential to take more political turns than otherwise, predicts N Sathiya Moorthy.
On one hand, South Indian states have been complaining about denial of a proportionate portion of the sharable funds from the Centre, based on population. On the other hand, they stand to lose Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha seats that again are based on population, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
From Eastern Ladakh to Sikkim, new drone units that can carry out missions for up to 48 hours are begin deployed.
Aseem Chhabra lists his favorite 2023 films -- a healthy blend of Bollywood, Hindi indies and some of the best work that is being done in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Bengali cinema.
Medical seats for under-graduates and post-graduates remaining vacant in the NEET era, together with the Centre 'freezing' the number of medical colleges and seats in (Dravidian) Tamil Nadu and the launch of the PM's 'Vishwakarma Scheme' for the nation's craftsmen, are all seen as a bid to further reverse the state's progressive socio-economic agenda of and its achievements of the past hundred-plus years, argues N Sathiya Moorthy.
Jallikattu, the Malayalam feature film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery, has been selected as India's official entry for the Oscars.
Words and actions like those of R N Ravi and a vocal section of the state BJP have only added to Tamil fears and suspicions, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
With his appointment as AG, the many constitutional law matters that are pending before the Supreme Court will receive specialised attention.
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