Chennai : Nine months after the Karur stampede that killed 41 people and became a major issue in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election, Chief Minister Vijay visited the city on Friday and strongly defended his role in the tragedy. Speaking at an event where he handed over appointment letters to family members of those who died, Vijay said the tragedy still deeply affects him.
The stampede took place during Vijay’s election rally at Velusamypuram, where thousands of supporters of his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) had gathered. Forty-one people, including children and young fans of the actor-turned-politician, were killed and more than 100 were injured. The case is currently being investigated by the CBI. Vijay rejected allegations that his party was responsible for the deaths. He said crowd control was the responsibility of the police and claimed he had trusted them to manage the situation.
Announcing a tribute to the victims, Vijay said his party would build a memorial in Karur in memory of those who died in the stampede. He said Karur would always remain close to his heart. The Chief Minister also attacked the DMK, accusing it of trying to stop him from meeting the victims’ families.
Referring to the opposition party, Vijay said it was behaving as if it were still in power even though the TVK now formed the government. Vijay intensified his attack on the DMK by alleging that there had been corruption in every department during its rule and that government tenders had been inflated.
Read Also : Days After Love Marriage, Telangana Woman Allegedly Dragged Away By Family