Manmohan termed Jallikattu cruel in 2015; Cong backs it now
Former PM Manmohan Singh, in a letter dated 2015, had termed the bull-taming sport Jallikattu a "cruel form of entertainment", while the Congress party has supported the protests against its ban in 2017. Adding that traditional Jallikattu must be allowed, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has said that it is much better than bullfighting in Spain where the Bull is killed.
The Congress party may have opposed jalikattu with its full force but today it stands a divided house. Even as party chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala walks a cautious line there are leaders like Digvijaya Singh who outrightly support it. But what puts Congress in a spot is a letter accessed exclusively by India Today written by former Prime  Minister Manmohan Singh while in opposition expressing strong disapproval for this age old Tamil tradition that has become the focus of the country's polity now.The letter is dated December 15, 2015 when the Congress was in opposition and Dr Singh seized to be the Prime Minister. This letter was written in the capacity of a Rajya Sabha MP to NG Jayasimha,the Managing Director of Humane Society International (India). Humane Society argued strongly against Jalikattu like many other organisations like People for Ethical Treatment to Animal or PETA that is at the receiving end of people's ire in Tamil Nadu today. In the said letter Dr Manmohan Singh remarked, "The Human Society International/India affiliate has a worthy objective and certainly we have to discourage bullfights which provide a cruel form of entertainment". Dr Singh didn't stop there but went on to "wish you all success in achieving your objective" of getting bull fight which is popularly known as jalikattu banned.This letter is in sync with the views expressed by many ministers in the UPA regime like Jairam Ramesh. But come today the scenario is absolutely different. A popular uprising along the Marina Beach of Chennai in demand of the sport that Tamils call an inherent part of their culture has forced many political parties to modulate their views. Congress' Chief Spokesman  Randeep Surjewala in a tweet put the onus on the centre and taking a neutral view much away from Manmohan Singh's militant opinion on jalikattu said, "Congress respects people of Tamil Nadu in preserving the culture & tradition of Jallikattu more so as adequate safety precautions is taken. People have a legitimate right to protect their pride & conserve their culture. Govt's duty to strike a balance & respect the sentiments." Something that was  'cruel entertainment' in 2015 turned into a 'legitimate right' in January 2017 for Congress, thanks to the popular mood.Well that is not all. Even as Surjewala tries to undo the damage, its another Spokesperson and a senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi doubles up as the counsel for the petitioners calling for a ban on the bull-taming sport of Jallikattu. According to him, Jallikattu is not a sport, it is a "brutal and wanton" torture of an animal and that since holding Jallikattu is not permissible under law after the Supreme Court order, even supporting or encouraging it is defiance of the Supreme Court order. So as jalikattu debate rages on, the Congress is a divided house with no single school of thought. It's general secretary supports it, it's media chief maintains a neutral view as another leader fights for the ones it's own party is not ready to openly back. And amid all these the letter bomb is surely going to put the grand old party in an even more uncomfortable spot. 