TVK chief reads RSS script, will pay for not following instinct, warns VCK leader Thirumavalavan

CHENNAI: VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan dismissed actor and TVK founder Vijay’s video message as “a politically insincere” statement and launched a scathing attack on the fledgling party’s leader, accusing him of talking from a script handed over by the Sangh Parivar. Thiruma further advised Vijay to “think independently and speak his mind” if he wished to have a meaningful political future, warning that otherwise he would “face the music.”

He asserted that the Karur stampede was an undeniable fact, caused when people trapped in the dense crowd attempted to escape and inadvertently trampled others. “To cover this up and instead spin a political conspiracy to blame the ruling DMK is extremely dangerous politics. It will not help him,” Thiruma told reporters at Chennai Airport, referring to Vijay’s short video message released three days after the horrific stampede during his roadshow in Karur, which claimed 41 lives, including nine children.

“Vijay did not act on his own,” Thiruma alleged, claiming that the actor was “fed such inputs, coached, and made to rehearse” before delivering the message. “Only when he begins to think for himself and chart his own course will he have a better political future,” he added.

The VCK leader also alleged that several of Vijay’s close associates had long-standing ties with the RSS and its affiliates, including BJP. Vijay is speaking their language, Thiruma said, naming TVK’s second-rung leaders Aadhav Arjuna, CTR Nirmal Kumar, and KG Arunraj.

The Chidambaram MP came down heavily on Vijay for indirectly blaming former minister and DMK’s Karur district secretary Senthilbalaji for the tragedy. Countering Vijay’s query as to why such an incident occurred in Karur, he said the actor’s comparison of Karur with his party events in other districts was “completely baseless.”

“Did he imagine his earlier rallies and conferences were held in Andhra Pradesh? Or under AIADMK or DMK rule in Tamil Nadu?” Thiruma asked sarcastically.

He accused Vijay of attempting to “frame Senthilbalaji as the prime culprit” and reiterated that the actor-politician’s brand of politics was “seriously dangerous.”

Explaining the circumstances leading to the tragedy, the VCK chief said, “Four to five people can normally stand in a single square metre. But in Karur, 10 to 15 were crammed into that space. They had been waiting there for nearly 10 hours, which created unrest. When they tried to protect themselves and escape the suffocating crowd, the stampede began. Those who fell were trampled by others attempting to flee, leading to the casualties.”