Hyderabad: Ruling Telugu Desam Party MP, Maganti Venkateswara Rao, inaugurated a cock-fighting session in the Eluru stadium, West Godavari district, on Wednesday despite a ban on the age-old practice by Hyderabad High Court.
The MP was seen holding the cockerel in his hand and defended his action by citing that cock-fighting was a traditional event.
The cock-fighting event, that is conducted around the Pongal or Makar Sankaranti festival in AndhraPradesh and Telangana, faced a ban by the HC after PILs were filed by Human Society International India, an NGO, seeking a ban on the event.
The PIL stated that the 'evil practice' resulted in deaths of several birds and that many people belonging to the middle class and the down-trodden sections are investing huge amount of their hard-earned money and eventually losing it on gambling related to cockfight.
