MARGAO: Congratulating the people and students of Tamil Nadu for their successful jallikattu protests, the United Goans Democratic Party (UGDP) has urged the political parties to promote dhirios in Goa in their manifestos.
Party’s secretary general Adv Anacleto Viegas said, “Congratulations to the people and students of Tamil Nadu! A great victory for preserving the people’s culture and traditional sports of jallikattu (bull taming). The voice and conscience of the people won the day as people’s anger at the “insensitivity and callousness” of our rulers had indeed been dealt a severe blow. The cultural activity of the people of taming the bull is a sport that has generations of history and traditions.”
UGDP said, “Goa too demands that the ban on dhirios be rolled back as it has been going on for several centuries. Dhirios are not bullfights, but are merely bull butting games and should be made an exception to the rule. Exempt dhirios, which in the pristine days, was a sport encouraged, watched and organised throughout Goa after the harvesting season.”
UGDP further said that last election the BJP had promised to regularise, control and frame rules to organise the sport, but like all other promises it failed to keep to its word.
“The dhirio lovers today call upon all the political parties to include in their manifestos promotion of dhirios with seriousness and urgency it deserves or face the wrath of the people in the forthcoming elections,” UGDP said.
“An accidental injury in all other sports is imminent, so is the injury to the persons taming the bull. Banning the sport is definitely not the answer, but regulating it by law is. Apparently, the courts and the government caught the bull by its tail instead of its horns, and hence the ‘bullish’ anger of the people’s wrath brought the government to its knees. We in Goa wholehearted welcome the change of making jallikattu an exception to the prevention of cruelty to the animals Act,” UGDP added.
Warning the PETA, the UGDP said, “The people for PETA better beware as the bulls (people’s) anger is on a rampage and could strike the PETA persons if they venture into another confrontation with the people’s emotional attachment to the games.”
