Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Friday returned to Karur for the first time since the September 2025 stampede that claimed 41 lives, using the occasion to launch a scathing attack on both the police and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
Addressing a public gathering, Vijay said the tragedy remained the most painful chapter of his political life and accused the authorities of failing to warn him about the deteriorating situation despite being fully aware of the risks.
Describing the incident as one that continues to weigh heavily on him, the Chief Minister said he had relied entirely on the advice of the police before proceeding with the rally.
"No matter how much success one enjoys... there are such incidents in life. When I entered Karur they (the police) could have stopped me, no? They could have alerted us, told us the crowd was becoming unmanageable."
He argued that the police had every opportunity to cancel the event but instead allowed it to go ahead. "They had every right to cancel the meeting. But they did not, they guided me in... Then I trusted the police fully and I even thanked them at the meeting. I didn't know about the drama. But who is really responsible for this... who orchestrated this?"
Vijay then turned his criticism towards the then-ruling DMK, suggesting that the party had exploited the tragedy for political gain in the run-up to the 2026 Assembly elections.
Reflecting on the lives lost in the stampede, particularly those of children, he also responded to criticism over his silence in the immediate aftermath of the incident. Opposition leaders, especially from the DMK, had questioned why he had refrained from making public statements for several days following the tragedy. "You mocked me... when I was feeling crushed and in pain at home, you said I was 'hiding'."
The Chief Minister further alleged that the police and the DMK had acted in concert, claiming there had been a deliberate attempt to damage his political prospects. "Did the police deploy enough people? They blamed me shamelessly and MK Stalin did politics."
Reiterating his party's long-standing position, Vijay alleged that the stampede had been orchestrated to derail his election campaign, which ultimately resulted in his victory.
He also urged voters to continue rejecting the DMK electorally, accusing the party of institutional corruption and claiming that his government had already begun dismantling its legacy.
Vijay's visit also coincided with an ongoing legal dispute over the Tamil Nadu government's decision to provide government jobs to the families of those killed in the stampede.
The DMK has challenged the move, contending that offering employment while the criminal investigation is underway could influence potential witnesses in the case.
The party had earlier approached the Supreme Court seeking intervention. However, the plea was dismissed, with the Bench questioning the basis of the challenge. "What exactly are you trying to say? You want the court to dictate what a chief minister should do? Chief Minister Vijay is not an accused."
Following the setback in the Supreme Court, the DMK withdrew its petition and instead approached the court-appointed supervisory committee and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the stampede, requesting safeguards to preserve witness statements before Vijay's visit.
Hours before the Chief Minister arrived in Karur, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court also declined to stay the government's decision to provide jobs to the victims' families.
The High Court observed that the scheme constituted a policy decision of the State and permitted appointment letters to be issued. However, it clarified that the appointments would remain provisional and would be subject to the final outcome of the pending litigation.
