Vijay Turns First Visit To Karur After Stampede Into Bypoll Campaign, Targets DMK

In his first visit to Karur as Chief Minister after the TVK rally stampede that killed 41 people last year, C Joseph Vijay launched an aggressive campaign ahead of the soon-expected Assembly bypolls to seven seats, targeting the DMK over corruption, the Karur tragedy and its allegations of horse-trading, while seeking to build momentum for the ruling TVK.

The bypolls, expected to be announced soon, have been necessitated by the resignation of six AIADMK MLAs, including former minister MR Vijayabaskar from Karur, after they switched to the ruling TVK within weeks of the Assembly elections. The seventh vacancy arose after Vijay resigned one of the two constituencies from which he was elected.

Vijay began his address by describing the Karur stampede as "the most painful thing in my life," but quickly switched to DMK bashing over the tragedy. Alleging that the then DMK government had failed to prevent the disaster, he said, "When I entered Karur, they could have stopped me. They had every right to cancel the meeting. Instead, the police guided me in. I trusted the Karur police that day. Who is responsible for this? Who orchestrated this?"

He built on that charge to urge voters to punish the DMK in the bypolls, repeatedly accusing the party of corruption and misuse of power.

Turning to the electoral battle, Vijay appealed directly to voters, saying, "Take good care of the DMK in the by-election." He then sharpened his attack, declaring, "Your response to them isn't enough. Give them such a response that they will never be able to get up again."

"Wake up. Your government has been sent home. The DMK hasn't woken up yet. Do honest politics," he warned the DMK.

The bypolls are crucial for Vijay and the ruling TVK. Although the party emerged as the single largest with 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly, it fell short of the majority mark of 118 and formed the government with the support of former DMK allies - the Congress (5), VCK (2), IUML (2), CPI (2) and CPM (2) -  taking its effective strength to 120. Victory in the seven bypolls would significantly strengthen the TVK's position in the Assembly and reduce its dependence on the smaller parties, even though it would still require the Congress's backing to retain a majority.

The induction of former AIADMK ministers MR Vijayabaskar and C Vijayabaskar has drawn criticism as both face corruption allegations despite the TVK coming to power promising clean governance and the eradication of corruption. The DMK has also accused the ruling party of engineering defections through horse-trading.

Rejecting the charge, Vijay said, "They call us a washing machine. The DMK is the vending machine for political business. We have demolished money power. When people are with us, why would we go for horse-trading?"

Stepping up his attack on corruption, the Chief Minister alleged that "every department was looted" by the DMK and AIADMK in the name of party funds and claimed his government had cancelled several "hugely irregular tenders", prompting those affected to "scream in pain".

Without naming Karur DMK strongman and former minister Senthil Balaji, Vijay made a veiled attack, referring to a "company owner" wielding political influence, while also taking an indirect swipe at DMK leaders who had allegedly fled abroad.

The DMK, however, dismissed the visit as an exercise aimed solely at the bypolls. DMK MLA V Sivasankar alleged Vijay had deliberately delayed visiting Karur until after MR Vijayabaskar resigned and joined the TVK. "He went to Tiruchirappalli for the by-election then. He has come to Karur now for the by-election," Sivasankar alleged, accusing the Chief Minister of timing the visit entirely around the electoral contest.

The DMK has also rejected Vijay's allegations over the stampede, blaming the tragedy instead on his alleged inordinate delay in reaching the venue, which it says led to crowds swelling uncontrollably. The opposition has further alleged that the rally suffered from inadequate arrangements, including insufficient food, drinking water and toilet facilities for the large gathering. The CBI is investigating this case.