Defiant Vijay skips CBI, interviews ticket aspirants, DMK leader Senthil Balaji to depose before the agency on Mar 17

Despite being summoned by the CBI for questioning in connection with the killer stampede during his rally at Karur in September last, actor-turned politician and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay on Tuesday commenced interviewing ticket aspirants for the upcoming Tamil Nadu assembly elections.

The interview of those who have applied for a party ticket was conducted by Vijay at the TVK headquarters at Panaiyur, a suburb of Chennai. On the first day, nearly 20 candidates were interviewed and the process will continue for a few more days. With this, a defiant Vijay seems to be putting up a brave face before his supporters and fans.

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The actor skipped appearing before the CBI headquarters in Delhi, choosing instead to focus on preparations for the TVK’s debut election. The party had requested a two-week extension for Vijay to appear before the premier investigating agency. Vijay also sought permission to present himself at the CBI’s regional office in Chennai, rather than in Delhi.

For the September 27 last rally in Karur city, Vijay arrived very late in the evening, while the crowd had gathered since noon. Minutes after he commenced his address there was a stampede in which 41 lives, including women and children, were lost. The Supreme Court had entrusted the CBI with probing the tragedy, and Vijay has appeared before the CBI twice in Delhi. TVK senior functionaries ‘Bussy’ N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna and CTR Nirmal Kumar have also appeared before the CBI for questioning in Delhi.

The CBI’s summoning of the actor for the third time comes amid speculation that the BJP national leadership is engaging interlocutors like Andhra Pradesh Deputy CM, and Jana Sena President Pawan Kalyan to convince Vijay to join the NDA for the assembly poll. Although Vijay has identified the BJP as TVK’s ideological enemy, the party appears to have not given up its efforts to rope him into the saffron fold.

Meanwhile, the ruling DMK’s Karur strongman and former Minister V Senthil Balaji has disclosed that he would present himself before the CBI on March 17 in response to summons issued by the central agency in connection with the killer stampede. Only the other day, he had denied any summons being issued to him.

“Regarding the Karur tragedy, contradictory reports have come out in a section of the media regarding the CBI issuing a summons to me. I will appear before the CBI on March 17 and share the necessary details that I have about the horrendous incident,” he said in a social media post.