AIADMK general secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami launched a scathing attack on the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government, accusing it of shirking responsibility for the tragic stampede at a recent political rally in Karur. Palaniswami claimed the Stalin administration is "shaken" by the incident and is attempting to deflect blame onto others while concealing its failure to ensure public safety.

"The DMK government has utterly failed in its duty to protect people," Palaniswami said in a statement on Tuesday. "Instead of addressing their shortcomings, they are scrambling to shift the blame for the Karur stampede." The Leader of Opposition criticized the government’s press briefing, alleging it was a calculated move to obscure administrative lapses that led to the chaos.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government released video evidence to counter these accusations, highlighting violations of safety norms during the rally organized by actor-politician Vijay’s Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) in Karur. A team led by senior IAS officer and government spokesperson P Amutha, alongside Health Secretary Senthil Kumar and ADGP Law and Order S Davidson Devasirvatham, presented video clippings at a Secretariat press briefing. The footage showed TVK cadres climbing onto rooftops in Namakkal and Karur, flouting safety protocols.

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The government stated that the crowd at the rally far exceeded estimates, more than doubling the expected turnout, which led to significant overcrowding and hardships. "The violations by TVK cadres contributed to the chaotic situation," Amutha said, defending the state’s response to the incident.

The Karur stampede has sparked a heated political row, with the AIADMK accusing the DMK of negligence and the government pointing fingers at the rally organizers. As investigations continue, the incident underscores the challenges of managing large-scale public events and the political fallout that follows when things go wrong.

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