CHENNAI: DMK leaders on Friday came down heavily on chief minister C Joseph Vijay for blaming the previous DMK regime and its leader M K Stalin for the Karur stampede incident.Rebutting Vijay’s remarks during his visit to Karur on Friday, DMK deputy general secretary Kanimozhi said people knew well who stood by them and helped them during the tragic incident. She advised Vijay to speak in a manner befitting the high office he holds. “Everyone must understand and act with a sense of responsibility. The matter is currently under investigation, and it is appropriate to refrain from commenting on it. People know who stood by them and helped them during difficult times,” she told reporters, referring to Vijay’s remarks on the Karur stampede. DMK spokesman T K S Elangovan took a swipe at Vijay over his remarks over stampede and stated that the CM “cannot utter a worse lie than this”.Former minister V Senthil Balaji hit back at Vijay for ridiculing him by alleging he was “on the run.” The former minister questioned who fled from Karur when people fainted and succumbed to injuries during the Sept 27 stampede. “He threw water bottles and called for ambulances upon seeing people faint in the crowd. But he continued his speech despite all this unfolding during the tragic incident,” Balaji said, recalling Vijay’s campaign speech that turned tragic on the ill-fated day.“Even after reporters informed him at the Trichy airport that several people had died in Karur, he did not visit the affected families. Instead, he fled from there on a chartered flight. The people of Karur are well aware of this,” he added. Senthil Balaji also slammed Vijay for blaming former chief minister M K Stalin, who he said had rushed to Karur and taken all necessary measures to ensure speedy medical care for the victims.Former minister S S Sivasankar launched a scathing attack on Vijay, stating that the CM’s promised Karur memorial would “only immortalise how he fled from accountability during the tragedy, and the 41 lives lost waiting for a celebrity’s late arrival.”Sivasankar added that Vijay was still in election mode, focusing heavily on the upcoming bypoll in Karur necessitated by the resignation of former AIADMK minister M R Vijayabhaskar. He further took a dig at Vijay for claiming that he would end corruption while keeping Vijayabhaskar, who is currently facing disproportionate assets cases, by his side.
