The political war of words continued between the DMK and actor-turned-politician Vijay's party, TVK, over the September 27 stampede in Tamil Nadu's Karur, with the former slamming the TVK chief for not visiting the victims' families. According to the DMK, the "deceitful silence" of TVK is an act of "disrespect" to the families.
"It has been 20 days today, when, due to a party's frenzied effort to gather a crowd in Karur for mere publicity, acting recklessly without any sense of responsibility, a great tragedy occurred. They have not yet personally visited the families of the innocent people who came to see him and lost their lives, nor have they offered condolences or even provided relief funds to them. This deceitful silence is an act of disrespect to the families of those who lost their lives," DMK IT Wing wrote in a post on X.
It questioned Vijay if he did not have the time or if the "script was not ready".
"Or is humanity simply not in that party's dictionary? Or are you going to roll out the same excuse again, claiming you requested protection from your fans but didn't get permission?" the party said.
TVK spokesperson Loyola Mani, in response to DMK's post, said that the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin-led party is "creating obstacles" to prevent Vijay from visiting Karur.
"People are well aware that this government is creating obstacles in many ways to prevent our leader, Vijay, from meeting the affected people. He will definitely meet the people. You do not grant permission when it is requested at the designated place. Is it appropriate for you, who follow an anti-democratic approach by delaying and denying proper permissions, to speak? You have no qualifications to speak," he said.
Mani further accused the DMK government of operating with an "empty propaganda model".
"It is painful that the administration is being conducted in a way that deceives people without accountability. This government is one that lacks the competence to provide proper security for public meeting events. People across Tamil Nadu are saying that you are the reason for such a huge loss," he said.
The TVK leader added, "People are questioning whether your government is responsible for the tragic incident that occurred in Karur. Especially, the families of the affected are raising questions. Is it not shameful to shift the entire blame onto us without the courage to respond? The people have not believed the accusations you have made against us to this very moment. People are asking if you have conspired in some way. Do you have the courage to answer the questions they are raising?"
Earlier this month, Vijay spoke to the families who died in the stampede over a video call and consoled them. During the interaction, he also promised them that he would visit them soon.
41 people died and at least 60 were injured in the stampede during Vijay's rally last month. According to officials, the incident took place as a crowd of nearly 30,000 people gathered at a venue with a capacity of about 10,000 for Vijay's rally. The security guidelines were violated, and proper arrangements for food and drinking water were missing - which contributed to the tragedy, they added.
Vijay, who was supposed to arrive at the venue at 12 pm, turned up around 7 pm. The crowd had swelled till he arrived, and he reportedly brought another crowd surge with his campaign bus. During this time, many people climbed trees, roofs, and power lines, due to which authorities had to cut electrical lines to avoid cases of electrocution. When Vijay arrived, people started pushing each other and threw slippers at the campaign bus to get his attention, during which many people fainted. The police then resorted to a lathi charge to disperse the crowd, officials said.
A day after the incident, Vijay announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh for each victim's family and Rs 2 lakh for the injured. His statewide tour was also suspended.
TVK Karur West District Secretary Mathiyazhagan was arrested, with the police holding him responsible for lapses that led to the tragedy. However, he was released today after the court refused to extend his judicial custody. Cases have also been filed against TVK's General Secretary Bussy Anand and Joint General Secretary Nirmal Sekar - who are on the run.
