Vijay accuses Stalin of taking ‘revenge’, NDA panel seeks probe into TN stampede

The Karur stampede at actor-politician Vijay's rally escalated into a DMK vs TVK slugfest on Tuesday, with the top star accusing Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin of taking “revenge” on him and asserting that the “truth will come out”, and the state government releasing videos to allege violation of norms by his party.

Shortly after Vijay issued a video statement, saying that the DMK government may do anything to him, but should not touch TVK party people, senior state officials held a press conference where they made a presentation on the sequence of events that unfolded in the western Tamil Nadu district before and during the stampede on September 27 in which 41 people have died and over 60 were injured.

Talking to reporters later, senior DMK leader and Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi said the wails and tears of the affected persons were unending.

The DMK government immediately stood with the people, she said, and faulted Vijay for leaving the place after the stampede. As a political party leader, he should not have done that, she said.

“Leaving the place without even saying comforting words and mindful of his own security---according to me, this is unprecedented,” she told reporters.

Meanwhile, a panel of NDA MPs constituted by the BJP, and headed by party MP from Mathura, Hema Malini, visited the stampede site and also spoke to the injured recuperating in a hospital. The panel questioned the choice of venue allotted to Vijay for the September 27 rally, which he addressed from atop a vehicle.

Congress general secretary K C Venugopal, along with senior party leaders, visited families of those who lost their lives in the stampede and described the incident as “beyond imagination.” Meanwhile, TVK leader Adhav Arjuna was booked by the police for a deleted tweet allegedly calling for “Gen Z rebellion” against DMK, a post that drew strong condemnation from the ruling party.

Although Vijay had responded to the incident on Saturday itself, hours after the stampede happened, sympathising with the victims' families and promising compensation, he uploaded a detailed video response on his 'X' page on Tuesday.

The 49-year-old top actor said he has never faced such a “painful situation” in his life.

“I didn't visit Karur as it would lead to an unusual situation. I will meet you (families of victims, the injured) soon,” he said in the video message.

His response came following criticism from various quarters for not visiting Karur and meeting the victims' families and the injured.

Vijay said the truth about the incident will come out soon, and that he was ready to face action.

Attacking the DMK government, Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami questioned the need for officials to address the media in place of elected representatives.

Also on Tuesday, senior TVK functionaries-- Anand and Nirmal Kumar moved the Madras High Court with anticipatory bail pleas, following the police filing cases against them in connection with the stampede, while Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam's Karur West District Secretary V P Mathiyalagan and Karur Central District Secretary Kasi Pounraj, who were arrested in connection with the case, were sent to 14-day judicial custody.

In Karur, the NDA MPs panel visited the stampede site and spoke to injured persons undergoing treatment.

Panel chief Hema Malini questioned the choice of the venue allotted for Vijay's rally.

“Such a thing is unheard of, something very different. So who is responsible for all these things?” she said.

Panel member and BJP MP Anurag Thakur said the team would pose questions to officials and organisers. The truth is, common people have lost their lives, he said.