New Delhi [India], October 4 : Congress MP Karti Chidambaram on Saturday lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for sending a delegation, comprising of leaders from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), amid chaos over the Karur stampede incident that claimed the lives of 41 people, and claimed that their entire agenda is to "fish in troubled waters".
Speaking to ANI, Chidambaram argued that the NDA delegation came to Tamil Nadu in view of the upcoming assembly elections in the state.
"The entire agenda of the BJP in sending an NDA delegation to Karur was to fish in troubled waters. They had never sent a delegation like this to enquire into the Kumbh Mela stampede or the IPL stampede in Karnataka. They have only sent this delegation to Tamil Nadu because elections are coming next year," the Lok Sabha MP said.
"They want to put the blame on a particular party, which is the DMK. They also want a CBI enquiry because CBI is always a tool to force political parties to align with them," he added.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday expressed deep anguish over the recent tragedy in Karur and assured that the state government is taking all measures to ensure accountability and prevent future disasters.
In a post shared on X, CM Stalin said, "Tamil Nadu government is treating all the observations and directions issued by the Honourable High Court regarding the Karur tragedy with the utmost seriousness. We are all deeply shaken by the sorrowful events in Karur. I feel great anguish for every family suffering the loss of a loved one and share in their tears and pain."
He confirmed that a Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted under the orders of the High Court, will begin its inquiry, assuring the public that the investigation will uncover the full truth and ensure accountability at every level.
"An SIT, constituted under the orders of the Honourable High Court, will commence its inquiry. As the Chief Minister of the state, I assure the people that this investigation will bring out the full truth. Accountability will be ensured at every level," Stalin said.
Moreover, the Chief Minister also outlined plans to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
"Tamil Nadu, a frontrunner for India in many areas, will also lead the way in preventing stampede disasters. We will consult departmental experts, political parties, activists, and the general public across the state to draft comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). These SOPs will serve as a model for not only Tamil Nadu but for the entire country to follow," he said.
Earlier, Stalin accused the BJP of using the Karur stampede tragedy for political mileage, saying the party's response was driven by upcoming elections rather than "genuine concern" and added that the BJP "survives by sucking someone else's blood".
While inaugurating development projects in Ramanathapuram district, CM Stalin criticised the BJP party and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for rushing to Karur after the stampede, stating that the Centre had ignored Tamil Nadu during previous disasters.
He said, "When Tamil Nadu was struck by three major disasters, affecting thousands of people, the Union BJP Finance Minister neither visited nor provided any funds. But now, she immediately rushes to Karur. The BJP, which did not send inquiry commissions for the Manipur riots, Gujarat incidents, or the Kumbh Mela deaths, is now promptly sending a team to Karur, not out of any genuine concern for Tamil Nadu, but simply because elections are due next year."
He further added, "They (BJP) think they can gain some political mileage out of this (Karur stampede deaths) or use it to threaten someone. The BJP is in a position where it survives by sucking someone else's blood."
An eight-member delegation of the NDA-BJP earlier visited the hospital in Karur, where those injured in the September 27 stampede are currently undergoing treatment. Before arriving at the hospital, the delegation, constituted by BJP national president JP Nadda, visited the site of the stampede to inspect the area and interact with eyewitnesses.
Members of the delegation included BJP MPs Hema Malini, Aparajita Sarangi, Anurag Thakur, Tejasvi Surya, Braj Lal, Rekha Sharma, Shrikant Shinde (Shiv Sena), and Putta Mahesh Kumar (Telugu Desam Party). BJP MP Hema Malini is the convenor of the committee.
The BJP delegation, led by MP Hema Malini, visited the site of the incident.
On September 29, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman expressed deep shock over the unfortunate Karur stampede incident, advocating for an SOP to effectively manage large public gatherings to deter such incidents.
"There's no bad time for setting proper SOP for public matters, particularly where there will be huge public assemblies. We are probably too late. We should have a better way of public gathering management, not just in one state, but the entire country," Sitharaman said while addressing a press conference.
Labelling the stampede incident as "shocking", the Union Finance Minister informed that she and Union Minister of State (MoS) L Murugan were visiting Karur at the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had tasked them to visit the victim families and console them for their loss.
She said that the public didn't have access to food and water during the rally. "Many said there was no water or food given in the meeting. Waited for a long time."
Among the deceased are 18 women, 13 men, five young girls, and five young boys, bringing the total to 41. So far, 34 victims are from the Karur district, two each from the Erode, Tiruppur, and Dindigul districts, and one from the Salem district.
The massive crowd at Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay's rally on September 27 evening reportedly turned chaotic, triggering panic among the crowd. As several attendees fainted, they were rushed to nearby hospitals.