In a pointed statement, members of the Tamil Nadu Rekla Club have said that India’s test captain Virat Kohli and opener Shikar Dhawan have no right to raise their voice against Jallikattu, here on Monday.

Kohli and Dhawan recently supported the signature campaign conducted by People for the Ethnic Treatment of Animals (PETA) that proposed to raise a ban on the cultural sports in the country that involved animals.

Even as the Central Government is trying to push a Bill in the winter session of Parliament seeking to revoke the ban on Jallikattu and Manjuvirattu, which was invoked on May 2014, the support shown by Bollywood actresses and cricket players has created a flutter among Jallikattu lovers in Tamil Nadu.

Condemning their involvement, members have stated that those celebrities had no idea of the tradition and culture of the sports. “PETA is a foreign organisation that cannot understand the culture and so are the North Indian celebrities who are from the urban centres,” said S. Balakumar, an animal rights activist from the Club.

He further alleged that PETA was killing more than 50 per cent of the animals that was under the care of the organisation, as they could not provide sufficient food.

Blaming the ruling BJP for banning Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu, he further stated that even though no casualties were recorded from 2009, the Supreme Court had banned Jallikattu and the Central Government had supported it.

S. Jayaprakash, the Treasurer of the Club, said that members would continue to protest until the ban was revoked. “We would further submit our ration cards and voter IDs to the government if Jallikattu was not allowed this year,” he added.

However, they said they would be conducting Jallikattu in most of the villages in spite of the Supreme Court ban.