Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) founder C. Joseph Vijay on Friday, visited Karur for the first time July 2026, since the September 2025 stampede that claimed 41 lives during his party’s public rally. During his visit, he accused the previous DMK government of attempting to derive “political mileage” from the tragedy and alleged that the police failed to alert him about the deteriorating situation at the venue, as reported in The Telegraph.
Addressing a public meeting in Karur, his first visit to the district after assuming office as Chief Minister, Vijay questioned the conduct of the police during the rally.
“The police could have alerted us that the crowd was swelling and become unmanageable to control. The police have all the right to cancel the meeting. Without doing so, the police escorted us on the highway,” Vijay said.
He said he had placed complete trust in the police and had even thanked them during the event, claiming he was unaware of what had transpired.
“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.
Without naming the DMK directly, Vijay alleged that the then ruling party sought to exploit the tragedy for political gain.
“They tried to gain political mileage,” he said.
Recalling the incident, Vijay said the Karur stampede continued to cause him immense anguish.
“We have lost children of our sisters in the 2025 Karur stampede,” he said, announcing that the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam would establish a memorial in memory of those who lost their lives.
The Chief Minister noted that although he was unable to visit the victims’ families immediately after the tragedy, he had arranged for them to be brought to Chennai, where he personally met and consoled them. During Friday’s visit, he handed over job appointment orders to members of 32 families affected by the stampede.
Vijay also alleged that he was prevented from visiting Karur immediately after the incident.
“You (DMK) accused me of hiding and uttered many things against me,” he said, adding that the police had advised him against travelling to Karur following the stampede.
“I am not a politician who looks for political gains. I have come to politics to thank the people, to serve them. Did you think I will run away. If you ask me to chose between money and people, I will say people..people alone are important to me,” he said.
Vijay reiterated that he had given up his acting career to serve the people full-time.
‘If the Karur police had instructed us not to come because of overcrowding, I would have turned around..I blindly believed them’- CM @TVKVijayHQ on Karur stampede pic.twitter.com/rZFqujE1QA
— Akshita Nandagopal (@Akshita_N) July 10, 2026
Targets DMK, AIADMK
Sharpening his political attack, Vijay urged people to ensure that the DMK suffered a long-term electoral defeat.
“The DMK’s defeat in the April Assembly election is not enough. Ensure a lasting defeat to the DMK,” he said.
Without naming former ministers V. Senthil Balaji and E.V. Velu, Vijay repeated his description of the DMK as an “evil force” and appealed to voters to “teach a fitting lesson” to the party in the upcoming local body elections.
His remarks come days after the Madras High Court granted anticipatory bail to Senthil Balaji and his brother V. Ashok Kumar in connection with an alleged ₹35-crore bribery case involving an alleged attempt to destabilise the TVK government. E.V. Velu is also facing allegations of corruption.
Vijay alleged that the previous DMK government had institutionalised corruption across government departments to raise “party funds.” He also described the AIADMK as a “spent force” and claimed that the two traditional rivals were functioning in collusion.
Claims Corruption-Free Governance
Highlighting his government’s performance since assuming office, Vijay claimed corruption had disappeared from government offices.
“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.
He urged people to refuse to pay bribes and asked them to invoke his name if any official demanded illegal gratification.
Vijay also claimed that his government had ended Tamil Nadu’s cash-for-votes culture.
On Mekedatu, Delimitation And Welfare Schemes
The Chief Minister criticised the DMK over the Mekedatu dam issue, alleging that the previous government had failed to effectively protect Tamil Nadu’s interests.
He also said the proposed delimitation exercise would not be allowed to undermine the state’s interests.
Asserting that he would safeguard Tamil Nadu’s rights, Vijay said the Delimitation exercise, harming state’s interests will not be accepted.
Announcing a welfare initiative, Vijay said the government’s proposed gold ring scheme for newborns would be launched on the birth anniversary of Dravidian leader C.N. Annadurai.
Rejecting allegations from the opposition that his government had resorted to horse-trading, Vijay said, “People are on our side.”
Following the public meeting, the Chief Minister took out a roadshow through Karur, where large crowds lined both sides of the roads to greet him. Vijay acknowledged the gathering by waving and greeting people with folded hands.
Subscribe to our channels on WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram and YouTube to get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.
