Mumbai/Pune, Dec 16 (PTI) Political leaders in Maharashtra cutting across the party lines on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the resumption of bullock cart races in the state, with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar calling it a “victory of farmers” and saying that the move will benefit in protecting the livestock.
Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis also expressed happiness over the apex court’s decision and claimed that he and other leaders of his party had followed up the matter with the Union government.
After the SC nod, the bullock cart owners in Pune district celebrated by bursting crackers and said that holding the races will give a boost the rural economy.
The bullock cart races, a popular sport in rural Maharashtra which had been banned in 2014 on the ground that it caused pain and suffering to the bullocks. On Thursday, the apex court allowed the resumption of bullock cart races in the state.
Ajit Pawar said that with the lifting of the ban, bullock cart races can now again resume in the state, but he appealed to the farmers to abide by all rules and regulations.
“With this decision, the ox farmers have won a long battle,” Pawar said, adding that NCP chief Sharad Pawar, other leaders and, social activists had contested the ban vigorously.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government gave strength to this court battle. This success will create new enthusiasm among the farmers in the state, he added.
While allowing the resumption of bullock cart races, the top court on Thursday observed that the validity of the amended provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and the rules framed by Maharashtra, which provided for bullock cart race in the state, would operate during the pendency of the petitions as the entire matter has been referred to a constitution bench.
On Wednesday, the Maharashtra government had told the apex court that the ban on bullock cart races in the state should be lifted as the same is going on in states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Fadnavis, who is the Leader of Opposition in the state Legislative Assembly, said, “The Supreme Court had banned the bull races in 2014. I had personally followed it up with the Union government and later BJP MLA Mahesh Landge had made a representation before the Centre over it,” he said.
Prakash Javadekar, the then Union minister, had also issued a gazette notification to pave the way for resumption of races, but the SC had put a ban on that also. The Centre in 2017 introduced a new act so that such bull races can be organised, he said.
“A report titled as ‘Running ability of bull’ was prepared in two months. Today’s SC decision was taken only after acceptance of the recommendations made in the report. I am pleased with the SC decision,” the former chief minister added.
Former Shiv Sena MP from Shirur Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil said that for the last over seven years, bullock cart races were banned in the state, but the Maharashtra government, various organisations, stakeholders and he gave a prolonged fight for the cause.
“For the last several months, the bullock cart owners were getting restless because of the ban. Without worrying about the ban, they even resorted to holding races, due to which cases were registered against them,” he said.
The Sena leader said the state government “woke up” after he and bullock cart owners threatened to launch an agitation.
“The state government, officials from the animal husbandry department put forth the state’s side strongly in the apex court through state counsel Mukul Rohatgi and due to this collective efforts, the court allowed the resumption of the races today,” he said.
Mahesh Landage, BJP MLA from Bhosari in Pimpri Chinchwad, who had been pressing for the lifting of the ban, called it a victory of farmers and bullock cart owners.
With the apex court giving its nod, several parts of the state, especially Pune and the western Maharashtra region, where the 400-year-old tradition was prevalent, will once again experience the thrill of the sport, those associated with the races said.
