On a day that pro-jallikattu protests swelled in Tamil Nadu, an under-pressure chief of the ruling AIADMK, Sasikala Natarajan promised to rein in animal rights organisation PETA.

The AIADMK general secretary has promised to adopt all legal measures to ensure that the bull is taken off the performance animals list. “The laws are meant to serve the people, the people are not meant to serve the laws,” Sasikala said.

Using the opportunity to hit out at her political rivals, she said, “PETA, an organisation based abroad is targeting Tamil culture. It was the DMK and Congress government that gave legal recognition to PETA by adding the bull in the performance animals list.”

She also added that the AIADMK that has always spoken up for jallikattu and it is the DMK and Congress combine that is responsible for the ban.

The AIADMK chief also came out in praise of the youth who are protesting on the streets of Tamil Nadu. "I praise the students and youngsters who are protesting without causing public nuisance and using peaceful means. They are following the ways of ahimsa," she said.

While demanding that the Union government should promulgate an ordinance revoking the ban on jallikattu, the AIADMK general secretary has also promised that the Tamil Nadu government will move a resolution in the upcoming Assembly session, to remove the ban on jallikattu.

This will not be the first time that the Tamil Nadu government has used the Assembly resolution method to deal with the Central government. In August 2011, under then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, the Assembly had adopted a resolution to commute the death sentence of Rajiv Gandhi’s killers, Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan.

Hitting out at the BJP, Sasikala said, "They promised to revoke the ban when they came into power. They led us to believe they would do this. But three Pongals after they came into power, the ban still continues."

Jallikattu was banned by the Supreme Court in May 2014.

Sasikala’s statement came hours after the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Paneerselvam announced that he will be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, where he will be demanding the promulgation of an emergency ordinance. OPS has requested the protesters in Tamil Nadu to call off their agitation.