Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam flagged off the ‘jallikattu’ at Alanganallur in Madurai district on Tuesday.
According to the organisers, this is the first time a Chief Minister has formally inaugurated a ‘jallikattu’ event.
Last year, Mr. Panneerselvam, who was the then Chief Minister, came to inaugurate the event and returned without doing do as the protesters, who called for the lifting the ban on the sport, refused to give up the demonstration. Though the State government passed an ordinance to allow the sport, the protesters insisted that an Act be passed in the Assembly. The event finally took place after the Act was passed.
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‘Being watched worldwide’
Speaking after the inauguration, Mr. Palaniswami said that he got to see first-hand how the event was being organised without any harm to the bulls. “The owners raise the bulls like their children,” he said.
He said that the event was now famous not only in Tamil Nadu but was also being watched avidly worldwide on television.
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Photo exhibition
The Chief Minister also inaugurated a photo exhibition on ‘jallikattu’ at Alanganallur.
Earlier, a grand welcome was organised by the AIADMK for the Chief Minister and the Deputy CM, with giant cut-outs and banners being erected throughout the route from Madurai city to Alanganallur, often encroaching on footpaths and roads.
Hundreds of party cadres and folk artistes waited at a couple of places en route to welcome the leaders.
Health Minister's bull
Though Mr. Palaniswami and Mr. Panneerselvam, who watched the sport with enthusiasm, waited till around 9.30 a.m to see the bull of Health and Family Welfare Minister C. Vijaya Baskar named ‘Komban’ to enter the arena, they had to leave because of the delay in allowing the bull to run.