Nobody should have a problem with Jallikattu: Naidu
Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu has said that Jallikattu, a bull-taming event held during Pongal, is a traditional sport and nobody should have problems with it. He added that the government is getting suggestions to allow Jallikattu, which was banned by the Supreme Court recently. "I don't know whether I should be saying this as a minister," Naidu said.
Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu today invoked Constitution amendment to nullify the Supreme Court order in the Shah Bano case as a possible way out to allow jallikattu, which was banned by the apex court recently.Venkaiah Naidu hinted that in the view of strong emotional connect of the people of Tamil Nadu with jallikattu, the Centre is mulling over a way out after the Supreme Court banned it."We are getting suggestions (to amend the law). After all, we did it in the Shah Bano case," said Naidu adding, "But, we will have to see. We will have to discuss. We will have to weigh what court thinks."However, Naidu was non-committal about bringing an ordinance to deal with the Supreme Court order on Jallikattu, saying, "I am not dealing with the subject in the government."Speaking at the India Today Conclave South in Chennai, Venkaiah Naidu said, "Personally, I feel that Jallikattu is a traditional art. It is a traditional sport in Tamil Nadu. Nobody should have problem with this." But, Naidu also added, "I don't know whether I should be saying this as a minister."Shah Bano, a 62-year-old mother of five children from Madhya Pradesh, was divorced by her husband in 1978. Later, she filed a maintenance lawsuit against her ex-husband.In 1985, the Supreme Court ruled that Shah Bano was entitled to maintenance like any other Indian woman. But, this led to a huge uproar among the Muslim clerics.The then Rajiv Gandhi government amended the law by passing Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986 to set aside the Shah Bano verdict of the Supreme Court.