Govt mulls option to end Jallikattu deadlock, CM stays in Delhi

The AIADMK government is said to be considering bringing an ordinance under a state law to circumvent the ban on Jallikattu.

Chief minister O Panneerselvam, who met prime minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Thursday, is yet to return TN. He is said to have extended his stay in Delhi to get legal opinion on his options as a protest by thousands of people at Chennai's famous Marina Beach entered its fourth day.

The centre's top lawyer Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said that Tamil Nadu can bring a new law or ordinance under sports, which is exclusively a state subject, to allow Jallikattu, keeping in mind the Supreme Court ban and imposing penalties to ensure bulls are not treated cruelly.

Late night reports indicated that the state government could consider promulgating an ordinance to ensure holding of jallikattu or convene the Assembly for adopting a resolution in its favour.

In a virtual replay of the anti-Hindi agitation of 1960s, lakhs of students and youths took leadership of the peaceful protests across the state, while agitators in Madurai, the main area which has been hosting jallikattu sport for centuries, stopped trains pressing for their demand.

Panneerselvam told reporters after his meeting with Modi that the state government would, along with the centre, would take steps to ensure that Jallikattu is held during the harvest festival of Pongal. The event hasn't been held for three years since the Supreme Court banned it in 2014.