Even as the Tamil Nadu government attempted to clarify that the tragedy in Karur, which led to the deaths of 41 people, was caused by Tamil Viduthalai Katchi (TVK) cadres of breaking police cordons and ignoring safety instructions, to counter the conspiracy charges levelled by TVK chief Vijay, the BJP too alleged that there is "suspecion of conspiracy" and reiterated the demand for a CBI probe.
After BJP leader and former Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai cited lapses by the state police and local administration, alleging inadequate crowd management and intelligence failures, BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan too targeted the DMK government, and said a probe should be conducted under the leadership of a Supreme Court judge or by the CBI.
On Tuesday, an eight-member fact-finding team to investigate the Karur stampede visited Karur. BJP MP Hema Malini, who led the team, described the incident as possibly "unnatural" and questioned the suitability of the venue and crowd management.
However, the DMK accused the BJP of politicising the tragedy.
DMK MLA Senthil Balaji said, "Of the 41 victims, 39 were from Karur. This situation should not be politicsed. Whatever party's event it may be in the future, we must join together and take the necessary steps to prevent such an incident."
Hitting out at the DMK leader over his remarks, Soundararajan said, "We want answers for the people who lost their lives. Senthil Balaji should come out with clarification and not make allegations."
She sought to know why the district collector and the SP did not meet the fact-finding team. If you have nothing to hide, why did you not meet them, she asked the district administration.
"When asked why was no action taken against the collector or SP, they (govt) said an inquiry is going on. Let the result of the inquiry come. There is suspicion of conspiracy."
The BJP leader claimed that under the M.K. Stalin-led Tamil Nadu government, people are arrested for voicing their opinions.
She alleged that DMK supporters are spreading false propaganda. "They are going around shouting that people carried knives at the meeting. This is false propaganda. An investigation should be conducted under the leadership of a Supreme Court judge or a CBI probe should be ordered."
Balaji's allegations
Earlier, targeting Vijay, the DMK MLA said when holding a public meeting, it is the responsibility of a political party to estimate how many people will gather and choose the venue accordingly.
According to him, at the Karur Lighthouse Corner, only a maximum of 7,000 people can stand, while near Uzhavar Sandhai, only about 5,000 people can gather.
He claimed that the TVK sought permission to hold the event at the Lighthouse, and later they asked for the Uzhavar Sandhai (farmers’ market), and then for the Velusamipuram area. "If you visit the venue where the meeting was finally held, you will find thousands of shoes but not even a single empty water bottle. It is the responsibility of the political party to provide facilities like drinking water and biscuits to those attending the gathering."
The DMK leader said the public feels that if meetings were held at the announced time, such mishaps could have been avoided.
"As the crowd grew denser, people began breaking the barricades near the generator room and started falling inside, only then were the generators switched off. Even at that time, the streetlights were not turned off; only the additional lights they had set up were switched off. Everything is clearly visible in the video; there was no disruption in power supply anywhere," he said.
AIADMK slams Vijay's response
While the BJP appears to be going soft on Vijay and the TMK while taking on the state government, the AIADMK targeted the actor-politician, saying if Vijay really wants to deliver justice to the victims, he should abide by the law and not resort to "making cinema dialogues."
"He was not in the picture for three days. That itself has not gone well with the people of Tamil Nadu as well as his own cadres. So, he should be seen with the thick and thin of the people who had lost their lives because of the failure of this government and governance," said AIADMK national spokesperson Kovai Sathyan, reacting to Vijay's statement on the incident.
