CM Vijay slams DMK for bid to seek 'political gain' over Karur stampede, faults police

Karur (Tamil Nadu), Jul 10 (PTI) Nearly a year after the tragic stampede here that killed 41 persons during his party rally, TVK founder and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Friday made his first visit to this district, and trained his guns against the DMK for allegedly attempting to gain "political mileage" from the incident. He also gave away appointment orders to kin of those killed in the September 27, 2025 stampede, giving them jobs in various state government departments. Attempting a point-by-point rebuttal to all accusations against him in connection with the stampede, Vijay slammed the Dravidian party for trying to restrain him from visiting this western town though he was the chief minister now. Giving away government job appointment orders to the kin of those who died at the stampede last year, he broke down and became emotional. Addressing his maiden rally here after becoming CM, Vijay faulted the police for not alerting him about the swelling crowd at the venue of the TVK rally in September last, nor taking any steps to cancel the gathering as the crowd had become unmanageable to control. Above everything else, the Karur stampede deaths caused him the "deepest pain and the worst wounds", he said. Recalling his pre-stampede poll campaigns last year, Vijay said that while Perambalur police alerted him about the crowds and advised him against visiting the place, Karur police did not do so. "The police could have alerted us that the crowd (in Karur) was swelling and become unmanageable to control. The police have all the right to cancel the meeting. Without doing so, the police escorted us from the highway," Vijay said. He could not meet the affected 41 families in Karur last year but had those affected families brought near Chennai and personally consoled them. At the meeting today, Vijay said, "I trusted the police fully and even thanked them at the meeting. I didn't know about the drama. Who is responsible for this. Under whose instruction was all this done," he asked. Further, he said a police officer had even said that the venue for the meeting was suggested by them. "What does it mean? After inflicting so much pain and so many wounds, you shift the blame on us and try to seek political mileage out of it." He alleged that then CM MK Stalin tried to give a spin to the tragedy in order to play politics. He said he ventured into politics for the people, to repay his debt of gratitude to them. "We have lost children of our sisters in the 2025 Karur stampede," he said and asked the people if adequate police protection had been given for the Karur meeting in which the stampede occurred. The CM, clad in black, said that in order to ensure that the future generations understood about the political conspiracy and betrayal in respect of the stampede and to prevent its recurrence, the TVK will build a memorial in Karur. "You (DMK) accused me of hiding and uttered many things against me," Vijay said at the meeting and claimed that the police had advised him against visiting Karur immediately after the stampede occurred. People gave a fitting reply to the DMK in the 2026 Assembly polls. However, that alone is not sufficient. People must keep on handing over "permanent defeats" to the DMK. After the DMK lost power, it has been accusing the TVK using various terms like being a "washing machine". However, it is the DMK which is the "vending machine" for political business, Vijay charged. While the term like washing machine was used by opposition to allege horse-trading allegation, the CM rejected the allegation saying "people are on our side." It is the TVK that eliminated the culture of giving cash for votes. The CM, sharpening his attack, alleged that in every government department, be it the "evil force" (DMK) or the "spent force" (AIADMK), both wre taking turns in plundering the state in the name of "Party fund." In the Assembly debate, when he merely made a mention of the word party fund, TVK's rivals took to their heels showing the guilty conscience. Further, he claimed of a "collusion" between the two Dravidian parties, Tamil Nadu's traditional archrivals. "The evil force and exhausted force are not separate entities, they are hand in gloves. Can they (DMK, AIADMK) say that there are no links whatsoever? Can this be proved? Prove this in the bypolls and talk later." "Every mask is being uncovered," he said and wondered how big would be the scale of alleged corruption during the previous regime. To those who claimed corruption could never be eradicated, he said, "go look at every government office now, work is getting done rapidly without a single paisa of bribe." He said he was very happy about giving a corruption free-regime and listed initiatives including "Singappen special force", a policing initiative towards women's safety. "Whatever has been said is only a sample; you will see the Viswaroopam of the government in the coming days," he said after outlining an anecdote alluding to alleged corruption in the DMK regime. Without directly naming them, Vijay hit out at DMK leaders V Senthil Balaji and E V Velu, resorting to his oft repated "DMK, an evil force" remark and appealed to the people to teach a fitting lesson to that party in the local body polls. The Madras High Court had on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail to Senthil Balaji and his brother V Ashok Kumar, who apprehended arrest in a case involving an alleged Rs 35 crore bribe offer to destabilise the TVK government. Similarly, Velu, the PWD minister in the previous regime, is under the radar for alleged corruption. Two months after his TVK took over, there is "no corruption" in government offices; not even a single paisa is being taken as graft, and people were being given due respect they deserved, he said. People should boldly say they will not give bribe, he said and exhorted them to take his name if someone demanded such illegal gratification. Also, he said his party uprooted the cash-for-votes culture in the state. The CM criticised the DMK for doing precious little over the Mekedatu dam issue and said party president Stalin was the chief minister when the Supreme Court rejected the petition. He assured swift action to protect the state's interests in Mekedatu issue, involving neighbouring Karnataka. Asserting that he would safeguard Tamil Nadu's rights, Vijay said the delimitation exercise, harming state's interests will not be accepted. On the gold ring scheme for newborns, he said it will be launched on Dravidian icon CN Annadurai's birth anniversary. Later, he took out a road show, with people queuing up on either sides of the road in good numbers. He waved at them and greeted them with folded hands. Several admirers who turned up for the event expressed happiness in being able to "see him so close" and for his repartee to political rivals. "He has given a fitting reply to rivals as the chief minister. Now what can the rivals do," a young woman asked. A supporter, Shankar told PTI Videos that the chief minister's visit caused no inconvenience to the public. PTI JSP VGN SA