MK Stalin said this was not out of genuine concern but only to seek political advantage in view of the 2026 elections.
Published Oct 03, 2025 | 3:12 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 03, 2025 | 3:12 PM
MK Stalin in Ramanathapuram
Synopsis: Stalin accused the BJP of being an opportunistic force that thrives by riding on others’ shoulders and surviving by feeding on people’s suffering like a parasite. He said the party is now trying to use the Karur crowd incident to bring people under its control.
At a government function held in Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin launched a sharp attack on the BJP over its approach to the Karur tragedy.
He questioned why the BJP, which did not immediately send inquiry teams during the Manipur violence, the Gujarat Morbi bridge collapse, or the Kumbh Mela deaths in Uttar Pradesh, is suddenly showing so much urgency in Karur.
He said this was not out of genuine concern but only to seek political advantage in view of the 2026 elections.
Stalin accused the BJP of being an opportunistic force that thrives by riding on others’ shoulders and surviving by feeding on people’s suffering like a parasite. He said the party is now trying to use the Karur crowd incident to bring people under its control.
“No matter what mask they wear, no matter how many subordinates they gather, and no matter whom they try to recruit afresh, I have already said this before—Tamil Nadu will always remain out of their control,” he declared.
So far, 41 people have lost their lives in the stampede on Saturday, 27 September — 14 men, 18 women, four boys and five girls. Among the deceased, 34 are from the Karur district, two each from the Erode, Tiruppur, and Dindigul districts, and one from the Salem district.
Following the stampede, Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (in-charge) G Venkataraman told the media that a large crowd, inadequate facilities and congestion caused the tragedy.
“The TVK headquarters had informed the district police that it was expecting only around 10,000 people to attend the meeting. The party also assured in writing that it would make the necessary arrangements and sought police permission to hold the meeting,” he said.
“Taking into account their earlier rallies in Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur, we had allotted a larger venue in Karur than the one they originally requested. The places they first asked for—the Roundana area and the Uzhavar Sandhai areas—are very small. Only two days ago, another state-level party had conducted its campaign rally in this same venue,” Venkataraman added.
“They had stated an expected crowd of 10,000, but around 27,000 people turned up. Keeping in mind that it would be much more than 10,000, we had already deployed sufficient police personnel for security arrangements,” he said.
(Edited by Sumavarsha with inputs from Subash Chandra Bose)
