Sawt Falasteen - TVK Legislator’s Jallikattu Criticism Draws Demand for Party Clarification

AMMK general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran has criticized a Tamiliga Vettri Kazhagam legislator for saying jallikattu competitions damage young people and society. He asked whether the statement signaled a future move by the TVK government to ban the traditional bull-taming sport.

The dispute followed comments by Sholavandan MLA V.M. Karuppaiah during Friday’s Assembly debate on grant demands for Housing and Urban Development. Karuppaiah contrasted spending on a jallikattu stadium with the continuing closure of the National Cooperative Sugar Mill in Alanganallur.

The MLA said the mill had remained shut for a decade and could have reopened with an allocation of ₹50 crore. He argued that directing such a large amount toward a stadium for an activity he said ruined youth and society was a worse use of public funds than reviving the sugar facility.

Dhinakaran demanded that TVK’s leadership state clearly whether it shared the legislator’s assessment. He described jallikattu as inseparable from Tamil culture, courage and agricultural life.

The AMMK leader said the remarks were especially objectionable because Karuppaiah represents Sholavandan, a constituency that includes Alanganallur, whose jallikattu events are internationally recognized. He also questioned why the statement had remained in the Assembly record and suggested its retention could indicate planning beyond an individual comment.

Dhinakaran recalled the mass demonstrations by students, young people and other residents that extended from Alanganallur to Chennai’s Marina and resulted in the restoration of jallikattu as a traditional right.

He also linked the episode to the TVK government’s decision to provide cars with public money to retain its MLAs, alleging that ruling-party legislators had been used to place that proposal before the Assembly.

Dhinakaran asked Speaker Prabhakar to remove Karuppaiah’s words from the official proceedings. He called on the MLA to withdraw the statement and apologize, and said the TVK leadership should publicly confirm whether the criticism represented government or party policy.

Q.Najjar--SF-PST