Karur stampede: Leaders avoid directly blaming Vijay
41 people died at Vijay’s rally; political reactions focus on administrative lapses and venue allocation, avoiding direct blame on the actor-politician.
A tragic stampede at actor-politician Vijay’s rally in Karur, Tamil Nadu, claimed 41 lives and injured dozens. As the district mourns, political leaders are walking a fine line — expressing condolences while carefully navigating accountability. Most have avoided directly blaming Vijay, turning the spotlight instead on the DMK’s role in venue allocation and crowd control.
Political caution
Chief Minister MK Stalin urged parties and the public to avoid spreading rumours or malicious news, emphasizing that human life comes before political differences.
BJP’s K Annamalai highlighted lapses on multiple fronts, noting that both the ruling government and TVK share responsibility. He said, “Responsibility lay on multiple fronts,” acknowledging the complex nature of accountability.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram echoed this view, stating, “There is fault from all sides. Every party should rectify their fault in the upcoming events.”
Calls for inquiry
Former AIADMK leader VK Sasikala suggested that the central government should form a committee to investigate the tragedy.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the BJP national president has constituted an NDA delegation to visit Karur, signalling the party’s engagement with the incident.
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NTK chief Seeman offered condolences not only to the families of victims but also to Vijay and his cadres, calling it a painful moment for the new party. He said, “My heartfelt condolences to families who have lost their children. My heart goes out to the cadres of TVK, their party members, and to my brother Vijay.”
Distancing and accusations
TTV Dhinakaran described the stampede as an “accident” that should not be politicised, stating, “I do not wish to politicise this issue; it is an accident. There is no point in blaming anyone.”
However, not all reactions were conciliatory. BJP leader Nainar Nagendran accused the DMK of double standards, claiming, “When 65 people died in the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy, DMK leaders hesitated to visit it… But the DMK leaders quickly rushed to Karur. The CM of Tamil Nadu should take responsibility for the people who died. The allocation of that place was the first fault. Action should be taken on Karur police officials.”
Focus on administrative lapses
Across these reactions, very few leaders directly blamed Vijay or TVK. Instead, the political discourse has largely focused on DMK’s administrative responsibility, venue allocation, and crowd management failures, highlighting gaps in preparedness for large-scale events.
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