CM inaugurates jallikattu stadium in Madurai district

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday said caste and religious differences were created “later” to destroy the Tamil unity and urged that cultural festivals like the traditional bull-taming sport jallikattu should be conducted by people unitedly as Tamils. In his address after inaugurating a grand jallikattu arena named after his father and late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, Stalin also charged the central BJP with “enacting a drama” over granting permission to hold the sport in the state, before the Supreme Court gave a favourable verdict on the matter. He recalled that DMK founder, the late CN Annadurai gave Tamil Nadu its name (it was earlier known as Madras Presidency) while Karunanidhi ensured classical language status for Tamil. His “Dravida model government” has constructed the grand arena in this district to highlight “aeruthazvhuthal which is a symbol of Tamils’ culture,” he said. “At this juncture what I want to tell you is–caste divisions and religious differences were created later to destroy Tamils’ unity. Let us conduct such cultural fetisvals unitedly with the Tamil identity,” he said. Jallikattu is also known as “aeruthazhuvuthal,” meaning embracing the bull. Stalin said that in 2014, there was a situation where jallikattu could not be held in the state and three years later, a massive public protest was held at the Marina in Chennai demanding that the sport be conducted. He charged the then AIADMK government with “unleashing violence” on peaceful protesters but the regime gave in to state-wide protests. @@@