Actor Silambarasan popular as Simbhu will observe a silent protest in support of jallikattu in front of his residence on Thursday evening.
The actor also requested Tamils to stage a ten minute silent protest wearing a black shirt outside their homes or wherever they are at 5 p.m. on Thursday in support of jallikattu. “Share you selfie protesting for Jallikattu,” he said, adding that when one can stand in queues to buy movie tickets why can’t they stand for this.
“I’m not a politician. I’m an actor. Tamils have so many problems and the list is huge. Some one has to voice out the concerns. Tamils are being treated like orphans and are sidelined,” he said.
As demands from various quarters continued to pour in for holding Jallikattu, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam reaffirmed the resolve of his government to conduct the bull taming sport, saying it will “not backoff” on the matter.
Panneerselvam also hit out at arch-rival DMK for its criticism of the ruling AIADMK on the matter, saying it was the UPA regime, in which the DMK was a key constituent, which issued a notification including bulls under the ‘performing animals’ category, making it unable to be used in the sport.
The Chief Minister said his government walked the path laid by his predecessor, the late Jayalalithaa “who had reclaimed and upheld the rights of Tamil Nadu” on issues including the Cauvery dispute and FDI in retail trade.
“Myself and the Tamil Nadu government, who follow in the footsteps of Amma (Jayalalithaa), will ensure that Jallikattu is held. We will not backoff even a bit. I would like to assure the people of Tamil Nadu that we will uphold the heritage and culture of the Tamils,” he said.
