Actor Vijay Rally Stampede: TVK chief released a video message Tuesday evening.
- Vijay, targeting MK Stalin, hinted at a conspiracy ahead of next year's election
- DMK said Vijay's response came after four days and that he must accept responsibility for the deaths
- 41 people died in the stampede in Tamil Nadu's Karur on Saturday
Actor and TVK chief Vijay - in his first public appearance and comments since 41 people died in the stampede in Tamil Nadu's Karur Saturday evening - took aim at Chief Minister MK Stalin and the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and hinted darkly at a conspiracy ahead of next year's election.
"Chief Minister sir... if you have revenge plans, do anything to me. Don't touch my leaders. I will be at home or in office," a sombre Vijay, dressed in grey, said in his video message.
"We did nothing wrong except speaking at the designated spot. But police cases have been filed against our leaders, friends, and social media partners," he said, shooting down talk the TVK failed to follow crowd safety measures. "My political journey will continue with renewed vigour."
The DMK responded swiftly, pointing out the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam boss' response was four days coming and that he must accept responsibility for the deaths because he 'broke the rules'. Party spokesperson A Saravanan said, "This is a script again. It took (four) days to release a video?"
The party contrasted that with Stalin visiting Karur within a few hours.
DMK MP A Raja declared Vijay leaving the stampede like he did - the actor was escorted from the chaos in hopes his absence might help restore calm - "means someone has a guilty conscience".
A third DMK leader, Kanimozhi, told NDTV Vijay "should have listened to the police... cops advised the party to stop (Vijay's campaign bus) a few metres from the venue... (to ensure space for the crowd)."
READ | 'Vijay Should Have Listened To Police': DMK's Kanimozhi On Stampede
Vijay's dare followed the arrest of a party functionary - Mathiyazhagan - on charges of attempt to murder, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and endangering public safety. Cases have also been filed against General Secretary N 'Bussy' Anand and Joint General Secretary Nirmal Sekar.
And, according to a third case, filed by an as-yet unidentified police officer, Vijay has been charged with a 'deliberate display of power' - i.e., making unscheduled stops travelling from a rally at Namakkal, 35 km away, to intentionally delay his arrival and build hype and expectation - that led to the stampede.
READ | "Crowd Came At 11 am, Vijay At 7 pm": Details Of Stampede FIR
However, in his message this evening Vijay declared neither he nor his party had done anything wrong and had followed protocol, including ensuring the rally was held at a safe location.
"During the tour we wanted no compromise on people's safety... we set aside all political issues and sought permission from the police for such (safe) places. But... what should not have happened, happened. I have never faced such a painful situation. My heart is full of pain."
The stampede took place Saturday evening in Tamil Nadu's Karur
"The people who died came out of their love for me. I am indebted to them for this love," the actor, whose entry into the Tamil Nadu political landscape, is expected to shake things up, said.
"I am human too. How can I leave when so many were affected. I wanted to go back... but that could have led to more untoward incidents. So I avoided returning," he said, responding directly to criticism by the DMK that he left the scene of the tragedy and did not, later, visit the families of those killed.
He also pointed out the TVK had held rallies in other districts. "Why in Karur?" he asked.
The Karur Assembly seat was won by the DMK's V Senthil Balaji, the former AIADMK leader and ex-Transport Minister now roiled in a corruption scam, in the 2021 election. The larger Lok Sabha seat has been held by the Congress' S Jothimani since the 2019 election.
Jothimani spoke to NDTV shortly after Vijay released his statement, and said, "We have to first focus on people who have lost their lives and the ones who are undergoing treatment. These conspiracy theories are for him (Vijay) to explain. I have met affected people multiple times."
The TVK has emerged as a dark horse for next year's election, on the back of Vijay's popularity and fierce criticism of the DMK. Vijay has ruled out any talk of an alliance with MK Stalin's party, which underlines the growing bitterness between the two camps playing out against the stampede backdrop.
At a party event in Madurai last month, he underscored that position, repeating his now-famous line - that his 'only ideological enemy' is the BJP and his 'only political enemy' is the DMK.
