Chennai, India (CU)_ Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has planned to visit Tamil Nadu to celebrate the Pongal festival on Thursday. Rahul Gandhi will also watch the controversial bull taming game ” Jallikattu ” during the festival. The visit of Rahul Gandhi to Tamil Nadu ahead of Tamil Nadu elections in a few months was designated as “Rahulin Tamizh Vanakkam (Rahul’s Tamil welcome)” by the Congress party. It was said that Mr. Gandhi will land in Madurai and will spend four hours in the temple town, celebrating Pongal and watching the bull taming fight.
Tamil Nadu Party leader KS Alagiri announced that in an attempt to support the farmers, the Congress leader has decided to celebrate the farmers’ festival and also watch the Jallikattu event held in Madurai. He added, “The bull is a symbol of farmers and part of their lives and his visit would honor the farmers and the valorous Tamil culture on the day of the harvest festival”. He also emphasized that the Congress MP has no plans to indulge in any forms of election campaigns during his stay in Tamil Nadu.
Earlier, for its contradictory statement on Jallikattu, the Congress was criticized on social media, and the party’s 2016 Tamil Nadu election manifesto had vowed a ban on Jallikattu event if it came to power. Owing to claims of animal cruelty, Jallikattu has been controversial. After petitions by the Animal Welfare Board of India and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the Supreme Court outlawed the traditional bull-taming game in 2014.
However, the state government in turn justified that Jallikattu was an essential part of the tradition and identity of Tamil Nadu. After major protests by the Tamil Nadu people, the prohibition was repealed in 2017. The government has approved the Jallikattu event this year with strict coronavirus guidelines to be followed during the sport. The number of players should not exceed 150 at any game, and participants should submit a negative COVID-19 certificate. It has also limited the number of audiences to half.
