Vijay's Lack of Apology for Karur Stampede Could Be His Political Undoing

Some believe the DMK government does not want to take on Vijay, and so, he has not named him in the FIR yet.

At least 40 people died in a stampede at a rally addressed by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president and actor Vijay in Karur, Tamil Nadu on Saturday, 27 September.

(Photo: The Quint)

It was the biggest mass casualty event at a political meeting in the history of Tamil Nadu. At least 41 people lost their lives in a stampede at actor-turned-politician Vijay’s public meeting at Karur in Tamil Nadu on 27 September.

Yet, several days after the tragedy, neither the actor nor his party’s second-rung leaders have bothered to visit the town to meet the families and offer condolences.

Worse, Vijay put out a video without any apology, not even a moral acknowledgement of blame, and instead alleged a conspiracy on the part of his political rival, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). He said that the truth would come out soon but took no responsibility for the incident.  

Overwhelming Rallies

Vijay’s political rallies have been spoken about of late for the huge crowds they draw, their rather boisterous nature, and the feeling that things could spiral out of control at any minute. Social media has videos of journalists warning several weeks ago of the possibility of exactly the kind of stampede that occurred at Karur.

The state government has, since then, appointed an inquiry commission and has issued press statements absolving itself and the local administration of any lapses and instead, put the entire blame on Vijay and his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party.  

Vijay's reaction after the incident has left many, even his fans, wondering if he has it in him to be a politician, let alone becoming a potential Chief Minister in 2026.

Soon after the incident, Vijay fled the scene for Trichy from where he took a special flight back to Chennai. This, while the bodies were being brought to the hospital, several ministers of the DMK government were rushing to the spot, and Chief Minister MK Stalin, himself was flying in to Karur in the middle of the night.  

Vijay claimed later that he was overcome by shock. That could have been true, but there was no excuse for what happened or rather did not happen the next day.  

Underwhelming Response

A couple of social media posts expressing shock were put out by Vijay and compensation of Rs 20 lakh for each family that had lost a member and Rs 2 lakh for each of the injured was announced. But still no word or explanation regarding his visit to Karur to see the victims’ families.  

On 30 September, Vijay put out a video. Sounding sombre, he spoke about how the day of the incident was the worst day of his life. But there was not even a perfunctory acknowledgment that he was at the very least morally responsible for what had happened.  

After all, he had arrived at the venue several hours late, his party had said 10,000 people would attend, though the estimated crowd was 27,000, and the crowd control at his earlier meetings had visibly been poor. None of this was acknowledged.

Instead, the actor-politician went on a tirade against the DMK, alleging a conspiracy and claiming that people of the town had started speaking up that the truth would emerge soon. Even worse, while the police arrested TVK's Karur District secretary, two other senior party associates the police were looking for went on a run, forcing the police to form special teams to nab them.  

Mass Tragedy vs Pre-Poll Politics

Questions have since been raised about the DMK government’s handling of the situation, particularly the extraordinarily rapid response to the tragedy, with Stalin rushing to Karur on a special aircraft as well. This was in sharp contrast with the extremely tardy response seen following earlier tragedies in the state, including the illicit liquor tragedy that killed 68 people, and the stampede at the Chennai air show where five people lost their lives.

There are also murmurs rhat the DMK government does not want to take on Vijay, and so, he has not named him in the FIR yet.

But whatever the lapses of the state government may be, Vijay's response (or lack of it) to the tragedy has dealt a body blow to his political ambitions. It is now highly unlikely that he can continue to insist that anyone wanting to enter an alliance with TVK must accept him as the chief ministerial candidate. Continuing down that road with the elections just six months away could end up as political suicide.

Most other political parties, with the exception of the DMK, have been soft on Vijay. Hoping for an alliance, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been supportive. Surprisingly, Rahul Gandhi, too, called up Vijay, a fact that would no doubt have irked the Congress’ ally in the state, the ruling DMK and Stalin. There is little doubt that due to the proximity of the elections, a weakened Vijay has to look for allies who can help keep his political hopes alive so that he can live to fight another day.

But, in all of this, the aspiring Chief Minister Vijay must find the time to visit the families of the Karur tragedy victims. It is the right thing to do.

(Sumanth C Raman is a television anchor and political analyst. He tweets @sumanthraman. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed are the author's own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)