Politics of jallikattu to be played on streets

CHENNAI: After the deluge, opposition leaders are harping on festivals to stoke public sentiment. With the assembly elections just four months away , the opposition wants to keep up the tempo by staging public protests on issues that could strike a chord with the electorate.
Jallikattu is the latest pick. After announcing a hunger protest led by treasurer M K Stalin at Alanganallur near Madurai on December 28, DMK has retracted, for now.In a statement on Friday , president M Karunanidhi said they were postponing it in the hope that Union minister of state for highways Pon Radhakrishnan would keep his promise of getting a nod for the sport.
The DMK patriarch, however, said the party would organise an agitation on January 5 at Chennai to highlight the failure of the government in managing floods. He has called upon party workers from the districts to converge on the state capital, with a view to showing strength.
Members of the People's Welfare Front -Vaiko's MDMK, CPM, CPI and Thirumavalavan-led Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi -have planned a protest in Madurai demanding that jallikattu be held. They are yet to decide the date of the agitation though. DMDK, meanwhile, will stage a protest in Cuddalore on December 29 condemning the government's tardy flood-relief work.
Karunanidhi, in a statement, criticized chief minister J Jayalalithaa for writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the last day of the winter session of Parliament. “The AIADMK government has failed to present the jallikattu case properly in the SC. If she was really interested in holding jallikattu, why did not she write to the PM earlier,“ asked Karunanidhi.
“In a letter to me, Pon Radhakrishnan said he met environment minister Prakash Javadekar and explained to him about the importance of jallikattu. With Modi's help I hope jallikattu can be held this year,“ said Karunanidhi.
PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss had recently met PM and urged him to promulgate an ordinance to hold jallikattu. “PM said he would look into it,“ Anbumani told TOI.
TNCC state president, E V K S Elangavan said, “Jayalalithaa wrote a letter on the last day of the winter session, when Modi was away in Russia, because AIADMK is not keen on holding jallikattu.“