How BJP has gone in the Congress way to bend the law citing Shah Bano and taking ordinance route to Jallikkattu!

How BJP has gone in the Congress way to bend the law citing Shah Bano and taking ordinance route to Jallikkattu!

Environment, Animal Husbandry department of Agriculture Ministry, Law and finally Home – ministries engaded to clear the Ordinance (19 / 20-01-2016): The sport, which goes back to the Tamil classical period, was banned following a Supreme Court order in May 2014, but spontaneous protests in Chennai have thrust the issue into limelight and sent Tamil Nadu CM O. Pannerselvam rushing to Delhi to seek an ordinance to overturn the ban[1]. In December, 2016 the court had reserved its judgment on a clutch of petitions that challenged the central government’s notification in January 2016 allowing bulls to be used in JallikattuAs an interim order, a bench led by Justice Misra had on January 13, 2016, stayed the Centre’s notification, due to which the apex court’s original order of 2014 banning Jallikattu is still in force. [2]. How all these processes took place, why the involved kept quite, delayed or played safe and all are debated again and again. Later in the evening of 20-01-2017, the Centre cleared the final legal hurdles in holding Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu over the weekend by approving the state’s draft Ordinance. The draft Ordinance, which will add a state-specific exception in the 1960 Act, passed through four ministries during the day — Environment, Animal Husbandry department of Agriculture Ministry, Law and finally Home — receiving consent from each within hours. Again, it proved the hasty, urgency and injudicious act to settle the issue. In its comments on the draft, the Environment Ministry, which administers the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, is learnt to have taken the view that Jallikattu had to be viewed in its cultural context, and that a decision on banning the sport could not be purely legal in nature. The last nod had to be given by the Ministry of Home.

Now, it is clear that the issue is political: The final clearance of the Ordinance by the Home Ministry came just a day after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and urged him to find a legal solution to the issue. Panneerselvam postponed his return to Chennai on Thursday (19-01-2017) and stayed put in the capital till Friday (20-01-2017) morning as his government prepared the draft Ordinance and handed it to the Centre. Top Tamil Nadu officials made the rounds of different ministries to hold consultations and decide the final language of the Ordinance that will put bulls on the list of performing animals in the state. A group of MPs from the state, led by Lok Sabha deputy Speaker M. Thambidurai, also met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave to press for the Ordinance. Whether the AIADMK was playing its internal politics or otherwise, the gameplan involved was exposed. With the Centre drawing flak, BJP sought to project that its government was actively engaged in resolving the issue[3].

The anti-Modi placards, sloganeering etc., are inexplicable: It is evident that sizable crowd of the “Jallikkattu” protesters were not students, but members of the radical groups like ma.ka.i.ka and its associated organizations. All the fringe Communist  clusters also joined. The Muslim presence could be noted. Thus, the anti-Modi placards, sloganeering and shoutings appeared intriguing in the context. That too, several placards carried very vulgar, indecent and unparliamentary words and expressions. Why, how and for what purposes, they used, only, they have to explain. But, definitely, such aberration marred their cultural claims made on the civilization, heritage and tradition in the name of Tamil, Tamils and Tamilnadu. The separatist sloganeering also exposed the involvement of fringe elements. Asian Age reported that[4], “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rejection of the state’s demand for a Central ordinance on jallikattu has triggered widespread anger in Tamil Nadu”. Residents geared up for massive protests on Friday (20-01-2017), with all sections of people joining students and youth fighting to save its traditional sport and preserve Tamil culture. Furious jallikattu protesters widened the canvass of the protests to include all issues in which the state’s rights were trampled. One of the students, Senthilnathan, who had gathered at the Marina asked, “If Narendra Modi is so concerned about respecting the Supreme Court, why had he opposed the apex court’s verdict to form the Cauvery Management Board?”.

Anti-national slogans were also raised: Protesting Tamil youth vowed to return the Aadhaar cards as a sign of declaration that they are no more the citizens of India. The protesters also targeted the railways blocking the trains in several parts of the state. Traders associations announced a total shutdown on Friday and cinema theatres would remain closed to express support the agitations. The Marina continued to be the epicentre of agitations for Tamil pride with the gathering of youth reaching about 90,000 for a stretch of about three kilometre on Thursday (19-01-2017) evening. The sound of waves were drowned by slogan shouting and drum beating youth, who supported jallikattu and demanded a ban on Peta, which was instrumental for jallikattu ban. There were hundreds of protests throughout the city, besides the agitations in every district and taluk of Tamil Nadu. The southern districts continued to vibrate with jallikattu protests centred around the historic city of Madurai. Besides boys and girls, children and working and housewives too joined the agitations throughout Tamil Nadu, voicing their anger against the unjust treatment to Tamil Nadu on a range of issues from the massacre of Sri Lankan Tamils to the non-formation of Cauvery Management Board[5].

Chennai had two faces in the “Jallikkatu” shows and bandhs: On 20-01-2017, the worst sufferers had been the office goers, regular teavellers and some students who attend private professional institutions. Autos and call taxis kept off the roads even as few government buses plied on the roads with improper announcement[6]. That the Banking operations took a hit with workers taking part in protests and Employees of various IT companies held placards and banners with slogans against NGO People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) etc., appeared artificial, perhaps, they  too wanted publicity or showed them to be supporting for the cause with the vested interests. The “Jallikkattu” protesters purposely occupied the most-crowded junctions, bus-stands and such other places, just to get the attention of others. This only created nuisance at morning and evening hours. Many inter and intra-state trains were fully and partially cancelled while some others were diverted. The suburban EMU services ran late. In Chennai, all roads led to Marina beach with men and women, clad in black, besides children joining the protest that has transcended political and other differences. Though, the schools and colleges did not function, as leave was given to them, the office goers and regular travellers of buses and trains suffered heavily and the autos fleeced them as usual taking the opportunity.

© Vedaprakash

21-01-2017

[1] The Times of India, Centre gives nod to Tamil Nadu’s jallikattu ordinance, TNN | Updated: Jan 21, 2017, 03.24 AM IST.

[2] http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/centre-gives-nod-to-tamil-nadus-jallikattu-ordinance/articleshow/56696136.cms

[3] DNA- Daily News and Analysis, Under-pressure Centre steps in to resolve Jallikattu row, passes ordinance, Sat, 21 Jan 2017-12:58am , Chennai , PTI

[4] Asian Age, Jallikattu stir bristles with anti-Modi anger, THE ASIAN AGE. | N RAVIKUMAR, Published : Jan 20, 2017, 1:00 am IST; Updated : Jan 20, 2017, 1:36 am IST

[5] http://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/200117/jallikattu-stir-bristles-with-anti-modi-anger.html

[6] http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-under-pressure-centre-steps-in-to-resolve-jallikattu-row-passes-the-ordinance-2294582

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