Alanganallur Jallikattu Will be Held as per People's Wish: Panneerselvam

Madurai: Amid protests seeking a 'permanent solution' ensuring holding of Jallikattu, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, who could not inaugurate the bull-taming sport at the scheduled time at Alanganallur here, on Sunday said people there could organise the sport at time of their choice.

Panneerselvam had on Saturday said he would inaugurate the event at Alanganallur at 10 am.

As protesters demanded a permanent solution for holding the sport and raised slogans that Ordinance was only a temporary measure, Panneerselvam said, the "state's Jallikattu Ordinance route is permanent, robust and sustainable, will be made into a law in the coming Assembly session".

Following the promulgation of the ordinance there is no ban, he said.

The Chief Minister said the Ordinance will be replaced by a law after bringing in a bill in the Assembly session, beginning at Chennai on Monday.

Speaking to reporters at Madurai, Panneerselvam said, "The ban on Jallikattu has been removed completely, the sport will be held at Alanganallur, on a date decided by local people."

He said Jallikattu was held in all parts of Tamil Nadu with the local administration and police taking all precautionary measures to hold the sport.

Continuing blockades and agitations here and Tamukkam grounds, besides neighbouring Natham Kovilpatti in Dindigul, put a question mark over Panneerselvam inaugurating Jallikattu.

Panneerselvam, who had announced that he would inaugurate Jallikattu at Alanganallur, had to stay in a hotel here following the stir there by protesters who demanded a "permanent measure" to be in place.

Following that, Panneerselvam was expected to inaugurate Jallikattu at Natham Kovilpatti in Dindigul. However, protests erupted there too making the demand for "permanent solution." A top police official here said a group of men who were "instigating" the crowd were staging protests "for political reasons."

Madurai District AIADMK wing MGR Mandram President Muthusamy blamed the DMK, and a Left-inclined farmers body Vivasayigal Viduthalai Munnani and some ultra-Left outfits for the stalemate arising out of the continuing protests at Alanganallur. He told reporters that protesters did not want normalcy to return.

Efforts of former State Minister Natham Viswanath and senior police and local officials to pacify agitators at Natham-Kovilpatti could not break the ice.

Anxiety prevailed for a while as some unidentified persons threw water packets, when talks were on. They also raised slogans that the ordinance was a temporary measure.