Nine months after one of Tamil Nadu’s deadliest political rally tragedies, CM Vijay returned to Karur with promises of support, a memorial for the victims, and a strong defence of his actions.
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Nine months after the tragic Karur stampede that killed 41 people, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay visited the city on Friday to meet the families affected by the disaster. During the visit, he handed over government job appointment letters to some family members of those who lost their lives and spoke about the painful memories of the incident.
The Karur stampede remains one of the most heartbreaking events linked to the last Tamil Nadu Assembly election. The tragedy happened during an election rally organised by Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) at Velusamypuram, where thousands of supporters had gathered to see the actor-turned-politician.
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The stampede claimed the lives of 41 people, including children and many young fans of Vijay. More than 100 others were injured. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is currently investigating the case.
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Addressing a large gathering in Karur, Vijay appeared emotional as he remembered those who died. Wearing black clothes from head to toe, he described the loss as something that continues to remain close to his heart.
He said the people who died were like the children of their families and added that the pain caused by the incident had not faded with time. According to Vijay, the tragedy continues to affect him deeply even months after it happened.
This was his first visit to Karur as Chief Minister after assuming office.
During his speech, Vijay strongly denied claims that his party was responsible for the deaths during the rally. He argued that crowd control was the duty of the police and said he had trusted the authorities to manage the large gathering.
According to him, instead of ensuring proper crowd management, the police later blamed him for the incident. He questioned why officials did not warn his team when the crowd situation became dangerous.
Vijay claimed that if the authorities had informed his organisers about the growing risk, steps could have been taken to prevent the disaster. Instead, he accused them of shifting responsibility and creating what he called unnecessary “drama” after the tragedy.
Vijay also announced that his party, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), would build a memorial in Karur to honour the 41 victims.
He said Karur would always remain special to him despite the painful memories and that the memorial would stand as a tribute to everyone who died in the stampede.
The announcement was one of the major highlights of his visit, as he promised that the victims would always be remembered.
The Chief Minister used the occasion to launch a strong political attack on the opposition DMK and its leader MK Stalin.
Vijay accused the former ruling party of trying to stop him from visiting Karur and meeting the victims’ families. He said the DMK was behaving as though it was still in power, even though the people had voted it out and elected the TVK government.
His remarks referred to the recent legal move by the DMK, which had approached the Supreme Court seeking directions to stop Vijay from influencing witnesses in the ongoing stampede investigation during his visit to Karur.
However, the party later withdrew its petition after the Supreme Court reportedly criticised the attempt, saying the court should not be turned into a political forum.
Continuing his criticism of the previous administration, Vijay alleged that corruption had spread across every government department during the DMK’s tenure.
He claimed that public contracts and government tenders had inflated. He accused opposition of creating hurdles for the TVK government instead of allowing it to carry out its work.
According to Vijay, these actions reflected the way the previous government had functioned.
Vijay also turned his attention to the upcoming Karur Assembly by-election.
He urged voters to give the DMK a strong reply through the ballot box. His appeal comes after the Karur Assembly seat became vacant following the resignation of former AIADMK minister M.R. Vijayabhaskar.
After resigning as MLA, Vijayabhaskar joined TVK.
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