Karur (Tamil Nadu) [India], September 30 : Congress General Secretary (Organisation) and MP KC Venugopal met with the families of the Karur stampede victims on Tuesday, and informed that the party has given Rs 1.25 crore to the affected families.
He further requested the party's Pradesh Congress Committee presidents to "look after the injured" while assuring that they will give "maximum help in the future endeavours" of the affected.
"This is a huge tragedy, and I was deployed by Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi to meet the bereaved families and injured... Congress has given Rs 1.25 crores for the deceased families. I request the PCC President to look after the injured people," Venugopal told reporters as he reached Karur.
"We don't want to do any politics, and we are here to support the affected families... We will give maximum help in their future endeavours," he added.
Meanwhile, Actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay released an emotional statement, his first public reaction following the stampede in Karur that occurred during a party rally on September 27, which claimed 41 lives.
"I have never faced such a painful situation in my life. My heart is aching, I am in deep pain," Vijay said in a self-made video posted on social media, adding that the truth about what transpired on the day of the stampede will come out soon.
"People come to see me in this campaign, the only reason behind it is love and affection. In my life, I have never experienced such pain. I will soon meet the victims," he said, saying that people's safety remains a top priority for him.
After the arrest of his party's functionaries, he appealed to Chief Minister MK Stalin, "Chief Minister sir, I request you please do not harm my party functionaries. I will be available at my house or in my office and you can take any action against me, but not against them".
The TVK chief said he left Karur immediately after the stampede as he feared his presence might trigger an uncontrollable situation and hamper the safety of people.
TVK's Karur West District Secretary, Mathiyazhagan, and Karur town functionary, who arranged flagpoles and flex banners for TVK chief Vijay's campaign, were arrested in connection with the September 27 incident.
The party filed a writ petition on Monday in the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, pleading for the transfer of the probe into the stampede from the State police to the Central Bureau of Investigation.