Chennai: With protesters at Marina Beach and elsewhere in Tamil Nadu refusing to call off their agitation, DMK Working President MK Stalin on Sunday exhorted Chief Minister O Panneerselvam to holds talks with supporters of jallikattu and explain to them how the ordinance provides permanent solution for the issue.
Mr Stalin, who has been demanding that bulls be de-notified from the list of performing animals in the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, put the onus on convincing the protesters on the Chief Minister. He said Mr Panneerselvam should personally talk to the protesters and ensure that their demands are met with.
“Despite its safeguards, an Ordinance that does not enjoy the confidence of people will not yield any practical results. Therefore, the Chief Minister should stop insisting that the ordinance route is permanent and talk to the protesting youths and explain to them the state government’s efforts for a permanent solution to the matter and pacify them,” he said in a statement.
During his talks with the protesters, the Chief Minister should also appraise the protesting youth and students of the Tamil Nadu Government’s efforts to achieve a permanent solution to the issue of jallikattu and how far the Centre was cooperating, Mr Stalin said.
“The Chief Minister should convince the protesters that the ordinance will pave the way for holding jallikattu this year and that there should be a permanent solution from next year onwards,” Mr Stalin said.
The DMK has been insisting from day one that the Chief Minister should talk to the protesting students and arrive at a solution to end the impasse. The Opposition party also held rail rokos on Friday and a day-long fast on Saturday to press their demands on jallikattu.
