The Tamil Nadu Veera Vilaiyattu Kootamaippu has embarked on the task of meeting Members of Parliament from Tamil Nadu and urging them to raise the issue of jallikattu in Parliament and exert pressure on the Centre to take necessary steps for the conduct of the traditional sport in the State.
Several outfits fighting for permission to conduct jallikattu have come together under the banner Tamil Nadu Veeravilaiyattu Kootamaippu to meet the people’s representatives. Separate teams have been constituted under the Kootamaippu to meet the Tamil Nadu MPs and request them to raise this issue in Parliament during the ongoing winter session itself.
Representatives of the organisations met four AIADMK MPs – P. Kumar, T. Rathnavel, R. Vaithilingam and M. Udayakumar – recently and presented a memorandum to them. They requested the MPs to raise the issue in the current winter session of Parliament and take necessary steps that would eventually pave the way for the conduct of the bull-taming sport. The plan is to meet all the Lok Sabha MPs and Rajya Sabha members from the State within a week, said T. Rajesh, state president, Veera Vilayattu Meetpu Kazhagam.
The MPs would also be requested to exert pressure on the Centre to remove bulls from the list of performing animals by bringing in necessary amendment. The role played by jallikattu in protecting the native cattle breeds would also be highlighted.
Jallikattu enthusiasts had planned to engage a top legal counsel to take up the issue in the Supreme Court, Mr. Rajesh further said. The organisations have already launched a signature campaign in Tiruchi and other districts to mobilise public support for the conduct of the traditional sport and to protect the native cattle breeds.
