Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Monday that his government is for holding Kambala – a traditional buffalo race – and said the Centre should support Karnataka like it had backed Tamil Nadu on Jallikattu.
“We are for Kambala...The Centre should stand by Karnataka in a manner it supported the Tamil Nadu government on the issue of Jallikattu (sic),” he told reporters who sought his reaction on the growing demand that the state government take steps to allow Kambala in the coastal districts.
However, his senior Cabinet colleague and Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa opposed Kambala. “We have to discontinue any tradition that involves cruelty to animals. Those traditions are not in sync with civilised society...Can we encourage Made Snana (a ritual wherein people roll over leftover food) because it is tradition?” he asked. But he said permission can be given for Kambala if it is treated as a sport.
Meanwhile, BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa told reporters in Mangaluru that the elected representatives from the party will submit a memorandum to the Union Law Minister Ravishankar Prasad, urging the Centre to allow Kambala. Prasad is scheduled to visit Dakshina Kannada district on January 25.
Yeddyurappa said that the BJP leaders would convince the Centre about the cultural importance of Kambala. He hoped that the court too would rule in favour of Kambala.
Published 23 January 2017, 19:11 IST