Vaiko. File
| Photo Credit: N. Rajesh
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general secretary Vaiko on Tuesday (September 30, 2025) said the death of 41 persons, including children, in a stampede at Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay’s rally at Velusamypuram in Karur on September 27 was unprecedented in Tamil Nadu’s history, and said the organisers of the rally were responsible for such a tragic incident.
Speaking to reporters in Chennai, Mr. Vaiko said the organisers failed to plan the rally properly, which led the situation to spiral out of control. He said Mr. Vijay arrived late at both Namakkal and Karur that day, which caused the crowd to swell and led to the stampede. “Mr. Vijay had reached Namakkal very late and was several hours behind schedule even to enter Karur district,” he said.
He also charged that the TVK was spreading rumours to mislead the public. “The State government acted swiftly. The Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues visited Karur within hours and extended all support. Yet, some TVK members had been levelling baseless allegations against the DMK government. Fearing that people’s anger would turn against the organisers, they attempted to divert it towards the government. This is strongly condemnable,” he said.
Recalling the 1971 campaign of former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) when he was in the DMK, Mr. Vaiko said: “MGR would rise from his vehicle before entering the campaign spot, show the party symbol and wave to supporters along the road. Likewise, Mr. Vijay should have anticipated such a large gathering and acted accordingly.”
He also said every political party should have a trained volunteer force for crowd management in political meetings. The MDMK leader said he could not visit Karur due to health reasons and urged the public to exercise caution while attending large gatherings.
Published – September 30, 2025 01:59 pm IST
