CHENNAI: Union Minister for Women and Child Development and a crusader of animal welfare Maneka Gandhi criticised politicisation of the jallikattu issue with an eye on votes.
Talking to reporters at the airport here on Monday, she said that instead of trying to capitalise on the jallikattu, good things could be promoted.
“The BJP got many important works to do. We should not try to get votes through jallikattu. We should promote good things,” the Minister said.
She described the sport of bravery predominant in certain places in the southern Tamil Nadu as a terrible sport. “It’s important; it’s a terrible festival,” she said.
Referring to the tragic incidents of elephants crushed to death by speeding trains, she rued that the railways was callous to the plea to run trains slowly through elephant corridors.
“For over 10 years, we are telling the Railway Ministry to run trains slowly through elephant corridors but they just don’t listen. The situation in Karnataka, Kerala, Assam and Tamil Nadu is extremely dangerous; we are losing an elephant a day,” the Union Minister deplored.
She further said, “We are watching elephants getting extinct daily and only 20,000 are left now.”