Some early visitors at Marina beach on Tuesday. (Express photo)
Tamil Nadu Telangana Assembly Elections COVID-19 Live Updates: As Tamil Nadu celebrates Day 2 of Pongal, Jallikattu (bull taming) event is underway at Madurai’s Palaimedu. The event was inaugurated at 8 am by State Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management, R B Udhaya Kumar. A total of 800 bulls and 651 bull tamers will be participating today.
As per COVID-19 guidelines issued by the state government, the number of players competing should not exceed 150 and COVID negative certificates are mandatory for the players. Meanwhile, the number of spectators should not to be more than 50 per cent of the gathering.
Also Read | Jallikattu: Tamil Nadu govt lays down Covid rules, bull tamers say ill-planned
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and DMK youth wing leader Udhyanidhi Stalin visited Avaniyapuram to take part in the Pongal celebrations and watch Jallikattu on Thursday. Speaking to reporters at the Madurai airport, Gandhi alleged that the Centre is trying to suppress the Tamil spirit and that is the worst thing they can do to the country. Gandhi said he flew down from Delhi to witness the hugely popular event “because I think Tamil culture, Tamil language (and) Tamil history are essential for the future of India and need to be respected by everybody” in the country.
Rahul Gandhi scoops rice into a pot as the traditional sweet Pongal is being prepared.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of trying to destroy the diverse culture of the country and invoked Tamil spirit, hours after watching a Jallikattu event – a bull-taming sport held as part of Pongal celebrations – near Madurai on Thursday. “They believe they can suppress the emotions of Tamil people, they believe they can crush the language of the Tamil people, they can suppress the spirit of the Tamil people,” Rahul told reporters after a visit to the famous Jallikattu arena at Avaniyapuram. “I came here to give them a message that nobody can suppress the Tamil spirit. Suppressing the Tamil spirit is the worst thing you can do to this country as this is the essence and soul of India.”
READ | Rahul Gandhi in Tamil Nadu: No one can suppress Tamil spirit
Telangana police arrested another Chinese national in connection with the ongoing probe into the instant online loan apps case. Rachakonda police commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat, addressing the media on Wednesday, said that 26-year-old HE Jian alias Mark, a native of Jiangxi in China, was picked up from Thane in Maharashtra.
READ | Telangana police arrest another Chinese man in instant loan apps case
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Chennai Hyderabad Coronavirus January 13, 14 Highlights
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chennai/tamil-nadu-telangana-coronavirus-lockdown-6-0-chennai-hyderabad-tamil-nadu-elections-2021-campaigns-edappadi-stalin-kamal-haasan-chandrashekar-rao-rains-pongal-jallikattu-live-7147059/
