Jallikattu row: Govt. has to crackdown on those against Constitution, says Swamy

Voicing its support over the ban on Jallikattu, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Saturday said the government has to crackdown on those who go against the Constitution of India.

"The remote villages are informally letting bulls loose. That's not Jallikattu. The Tamil Nadu Government has prevented the real functions in Madurai, Cuddalore and in other places. That's very good because while I support Jallikattu and while I have argued in the Supreme Court on it giving a 23-page written submission also, but I don't like these anti-national elements in Tamil Nadu," Swamy told ANI.

He further said that one has to wait as long as the Supreme Court does not give a judgement on Jallikattu.

"These LTT, Naxalite and drug peddlers ...all these people have ganged up together to somehow bring the Indian Constitution into dispute. This will not be tolerated. I am happy that the Tamil Nadu Government has taken action and also warned those with the bulls not to keep them out for the function," he added.

The police lathicharged the people protesting against the ban on Jallikattu in Avanivapuram in Madurai on Saturday.

As many as thirty people have been detained.

Heavy police force has been deployed since Friday in Avaniapuram, Palamedu and Alanganallur, locations famous for Jallikattu in Madurai District, as various organisations vowed to violate the ban and organise the bull taming sport.

Jallikattu was organised yesterday in Madurai as protests continued for the fourth day in Tamil Nadu with principal opposition DMK too hitting the streets on Pongal, seeking permission for conducting the bull taming sport.

A day after Supreme Court said it could not give its verdict on Jallikattu before Pongal, DMK pressed the Centre to promulgate an ordinance to allow the sport.

DMK chief M.K. Stalin also led a protest in Chennai and sought promulgation of an ordinance.

The apex court had outlawed Jallikattu in 2014 and a review petition of Tamil Nadu was also dismissed last December.

The judgement on a matter related to the Centre's notification from November 2016 to exempt Jallikattu from the ban has been reserved by the apex court.

Jallikattu is traditionally held along with Pongal festivities and there has been a growing chorus in support of lifting the ban on the sport in the state in the past four days.