Tamil Nadu ministers hold talks with pro-Jallikattu protestors

Chennai: As pro-Jallikattu protests across Tamil Nadu continued to gain steam with a group of youngsters continuing their agitation here through the night, the state government on Wednesday held talks with agitators and assured its commitment to hold the bull taming sport in the state.

The government also told the youths that it would even approach the President seeking an ordinance on the matter.

State Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar, who alongwith his cabinet colleague K Pandiarajan held talks with representatives of the protesting youth here in the wee hours, said the 50 AIADMK Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs will "exert required pressure on the Centre" for conduct of Jallikattu.

"Not just that, this government will also take steps to meet the President to seek an ordinance," Jayakumar said.

Tamil Nadu has been urging the Centre repeatedly to issue an ordinance for the conduct of Jallikattu, held during the Tamil harvest festival Pongal in mid-January.

More than 200 youths were taken into custody on Monday night after they held protests at Alanganallur village demanding lifting of the ban on Jallikattu.

Responding to the protestors' demands for an assurance from Chief Minister O Panneerselvam for conducting Jallikattu, School Education Minister Pandiarajan said the government cannot give any oral assurance and indicated that the chief minister could issue a statement later in the day on the matter.

The ministers urged the protestors to withdraw their agitation.

Chandramohan, one of the representatives who held talks with the ministers on behalf of the protestors, insisted that the chief minister support the bull taming sport.

"The government should understand the sentiments of the people and exert pressure on the Centre. They (ministers) have assured to find a solution," he said.

Meanwhile, the protestors at Marina, who converged yesterday following an agitation at Alanganallur in Madurai, were unrelenting in their demand for conducting Jallikattu and continued to stay put at the protest site and sat through the night.

The agitators claimed that more volunteers had either joined them or were on their way to join the protests.