Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday to consider passing an ordinance to ensure that the traditional sport of Jallikattu, which is part of Pongal celebrations in Tamil Nadu, is allowed.
Also read: Simbu breaks his silence on Jallikattu ban
"Given that Pongal festival, which holds great importance to the people of Tamil Nadu, is less than a week away and Jallikattu is an integral part of the Pongal festivities, considering the urgency of the issue, Government of India should consider promulgating an ordinance removing the legal impediments, enabling the conduct of Jallikattu during Pongal, 2017," Panneerselvam wrote in the letter.
South Indian actor Kamal Hassan also spoke in favour of allowing the sport on Monday.
If Jallikattu hurts animals, then ban biriyani. I'm a big fan of jallikattu," said Kamal Hassan -- a statement which has been criticised on social media.
"Bakr Eid is no justification for Jallikattu. All cruelty to animals is wrong. And one wrong does not justify another. Find another excuse," tweeted journalist Rahul Kanwal in response with links to documentaries on the sport.
"Please don't spread hatred over anyone about this issue, there is nothing that cannot be solved through dialogue.#jallikattu" tweeted Indian cricketer Ashwin Ravichandran.
The sport was banned by the Supreme Court in 2014 after numerous animal rights activists criticised it for cruelty to animals.
On Sunday, people in Chennai took to the streets to protest against the ban against Jallikattu.
In #Madurai today. Event in support of #Jallikattu pic.twitter.com/cWpgcNjU6P
— Trollywood (@TrollywoodOffl) January 9, 2017
Panneerselvam also added that former Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa had demanded that the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests "should clearly denotify bulls as performing animals from a 2011 notification by the Ministry. The other demand was to "suitably amend Section 11(3) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 by introducing a new clause 'f' in sub-section (3) of Section 11 specifically exempting Jallikattu in addition to other exemptions already provided in the Act," reports PTI.
The chief minister also said that the Narendra Modi government has not initiated any action on the suggestions.
