Vijay resumes political activities a month after deadly Karur stampede, slams DMK government over paddy wastage

A day after meeting the families of the Karur tragedy victims, actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay seems to have resumed his political activities. The actor, who was behind the closed doors at his office at Panaiyur and residence at Neelankarai, on the outskirts of Chennai, launched a scathing attack on the DMK government with regard to the large-scale wastage of paddy due to incessant rains in the delta region.

In a two-page detailed statement, Vijay on Tuesday raised several hard-hitting questions against the M.K. Stalin-led government and its failure in saving the livelihood of the delta farmers. Accusing the state government of gross negligence and indifference towards the plight of the poor, he drew a symbolic comparison between the sprouted grains and the growing anti-incumbency in the state. “Just as paddy grains sprouted and perished in the rains, a wave of growing anger is sprouting in the hearts of the people against the anti-farmer DMK regime,” Vijay said in the statement.

He also questioned the government’s failure to act swiftly to save the harvested paddy grains from rotting in the rain-soaked godowns and fields. “If the government truly cared for farmers, they would have immediately safeguarded their hard-earned produce and taken measures to protect their livelihood. But instead the government has allowed their hard work and toil to go to waste,” Vijay alleged.

Calling out the DMK government and CM Stalin’s repeated claims of championing the delta region, Vijay raised several hard-hitting questions. He asked why the government failed to purchase paddy at the right time and at a fair price. “It is the same story every year. The paddy gets drenched in the rain water. But the government seems to remain unmoved,” Vijay said in his statement.

Demanding an explanation from Stalin for the loss meted out by the delta farmers due to the incessant rains, Vijay urged the government to launch an immediate preventive action to protect the farmers. “It is only the beginning of the northeast monsoon. The government must stop its empty publicity stunts and act on a war footing way to protect the farmers,” Vijay urged the government. In his strongly worded statement, Vijay pointed out that the mounting resentment against the DMK government from the farmers and the public will soon grow stronger like the sprouting paddy and send the rulers back home in 2026 elections.

Incidentally, this is the first statement from Vijay, since the deadly Karur tragedy that killed 41 people. Vijay chose to remain closed doors, as the tragedy took political turns. While Vijay and his team tried hard to convert the Karur stampede as a sympathy for the actor, it did not earn him much brownie points as expected.

Though there is no strong opposition to Vijay until now in Karur or even among the families who lost their loved ones, his meeting with the victim families at a beachside resort at Mahabalipuram in Chennai did not turn positive for Vijay. Meanwhile, a special general council meeting of TVK is slated to be held soon.

India