K. Annamalai, the head of the Tamil Nadu BJP, has harshly criticized actor-politician Kamal Haasan for supporting the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government after the Karur stampede catastrophe that killed 41 people.
Annamalai said that the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder was trying to protect the DMK from being held responsible for the catastrophe by bringing up Haasan’s recent visit to the location.
A long time ago, Kamal Haasan traded his soul for a seat in the Rajya Sabha. “People in Tamil Nadu are not going to take him seriously after that,” Annamalai told media.
Annamalai criticizes Haasan’s comments and says they show bias against the DMK.
Annamalai’s words come following Haasan’s speech on Monday, in which the actor told people not to make the issue political and lauded Chief Minister MK Stalin’s leadership.
“Who will believe that the government is not to blame when you go to Karur and say so? Kamal Haasan is a great actor, but when it comes to politics, he just says one thing. The BJP leader remarked, “He wants to support the DMK even when it comes to Karur.”
The Karur stampede happened on September 27, when actor-turned-politician Vijay, who is also the head of Tamila Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), spoke to a crowd. The event, which was one of the biggest political disasters in recent memory, killed 41 people and hurt more than 50.
Haasan Says “Don’t See Tragedy as Numbers” and Asks for Calm
Haasan met with the families of the victims while he was in Karur and asked the public to feel for them.
“Don’t look at this tragedy as numbers. Look at them as moms, sisters, and older people. The investigation is in progress. Any government will be held accountable. Haasan told reporters, “But the matter is still in court, so it’s not right to talk about it now.”
He also told people not to take sides in politics and praised CM Stalin for how he handled the matter.
Investigations and political fallout are getting worse.
The Karur incident, which happened while TVK was giving away free gifts at a local religious event, has caused a lot of anger over how crowds were handled and how the government failed to do its job.
The BJP and AIADMK, two opposition parties, have called for a high-level investigation into the incident and blamed the DMK administration for not taking enough safety precautions.
Two TVK officials, one of them is district secretary Mathiyazhagan, have been taken into custody in connection with the event. The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court denied anticipatory relief to senior TVK leaders Bussy Anand (General Secretary) and Nirmal Kumar (Deputy General Secretary). They are still on the run.
The people who are being accused are facing significant charges, such as attempted murder, culpable homicide that doesn’t amount to murder, and putting public safety at risk.
Vijay, on the other hand, has said that the tragedy was part of a political plot by the DMK. The ruling party and the Tamil Nadu Police have firmly refuted this. Instead, officials said that TVK broke safety rules and rules for controlling crowds during the event.