Stampedes at political rallies, religious congregations, sports events, railway stations and events attended by famous personalities are not new in India. They are almost frequent disasters and even in some film release events, people have died in the stampede.

But stampede deaths are a rarity at political rallies and the first incident of a large number of people being killed at a political event took place at the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) propaganda rally of actor-turned politician Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, popularly known as Vijay in the Tamil Nadu town of Karur on the night of Saturday September 27. Forty-one people, including women and children perished that night. 

MGR was the first actor to become the chief minister of a state in India. There was a time when people waited for M. G. Ramachandran who was the first ever cinema personality to become the chief minister of an Indian state, not for hours but for days.

Indian media pointed out that there had been no disaster like the one that occurred at Vijay’s meeting last week, due to the organizational strength of MGR’s party and the presence of politically experienced party leaders and workers even in remote villages. 

It is widely perceived that TVK is a political outfit that believes only in Vijay’s cinematic popularity and that he also has no proper political ideas or ideology. It has been alleged that the main reason for the deaths in Karur was that Vijay’s party men did not have the experience and ability to organise massive political gatherings in a safe manner and that he didn’t focus on converting his fans into disciplined party workers.

With seven months to go for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, it seems that the participation of hundreds of thousands of people in Vijay’s campaign rallies has rattled other parties, including the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). His detractors have been openly saying that the crowds gathering to see him for his cinematic attraction would not translate into votes in the elections.

None of the political parties in Tamil Nadu paid heed to Vijay’s calls to come forward to form an electoral alliance. Hence, he seems to have concentrated on proving his popularity by mobilising people in large numbers for his campaign rallies. Evidently, he adopted a tactic of delaying attendance deliberately at rallies, until thousands of people had gathered.

It is also alleged that the TVK functionaries did not pay attention to making proper preparations to prevent the re-emergence of such a dangerous situation even after the unprecedented crowd gathering at some of their campaign meetings before the Karur meeting that ended in chaos. 

It is deplorable that immediately after the tragedy in Karur, Vijay got out of his campaign vehicle and flew back to Chennai in his private plane. Neither he nor his party leaders visited the families of the deceased to console them, nor did they visit the injured in hospitals.

Vijay’s act of expressing his sympathy on social media four hours later showed that he was still a film actor and had not transformed himself into a political leader who cared for the well-being of the people.

While Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin, his ministers and leaders of other parties immediately rushed to the hospitals and visited the injured, Vijay who announced that he would postpone his campaigns for two weeks, did not meet the affected people.

Only after the Chief Minister’s announcement of compensation of Rs. 1 million each to the families of the deceased, did Vijay see the necessity to help the people who lost their loved ones, and announced Rs. 2 million compensation.

The manner in which Vijay conducted himself after the tragedy faced by the people who were waiting in the scorching sun without food or water all day to see him in Karur, has proved that he has miserably failed in the first test of his political leadership potential.

He still didn’t admit he was wrong and he did not tender an apology to the people. His behaviour was as if he was returning home after suspending a film shoot while people were fainting in the streets, showed his lack of experience in handling dire situations and taking mature decisions.

A politician with wisdom and concern for the welfare of the people would certainly be behaving in stark contrast to Vijay. He should have acted along with his party men to control the chaos at the disaster site and help the affected people.

It’s easy to be wise after the incident.  Politicians and the media are now advising on the steps to be taken so that people attending political campaign meetings are not affected.

Chief Minister Stalin, who has announced that he will hold consultations with political parties and public organisations to formulate rules and regulations to ensure that there is no crowding at public events like the one in Karur, has appointed a one-man commission of a retired High Court judge, to probe causes of the Karur tragedy. He said action would be taken on the basis of the commission’s report.

Vijay, who has already held rallies for his party in five districts, has questioned how things happened in Karur alone, as if there was a conspiracy. There is no doubt that the ruling DMK and other parties will use the Karur incident as much as they can to ensure that Vijay’s party does not pose a major challenge to them anymore and Vijay’s political future prospects depend on how he deals with the crisis and how his political opponents use it to their advantage.

Confusing political stance

Apart from Vijay’s lack of experience and responsibility in handling crisis situations, he has been making disturbing comments, even in terms of his political policy, since the days he launched the TVK in February 2024.

Terming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre and the DMK in the State as his political enemies, Vijay said E.V. Ramasamy Periyar was one of his ideological icons. While praising Ambedkar’s ideals, Vijay pledged to follow Kamaraj’s policies even though he distanced himself from the Congress party, long-time ally of the DMK 

The grand ‘cut-outs’ of former Chief Ministers C. N. Annadurai and MGR adorned the venue of the TVK’s Madurai conference on August 21, 2025. It seems by doing so he is trying to give a message to people of the state that Dravidian parties had lost their way and here he was to show a new path.

Pointing out that DMK came to power in 1967 under the leadership of Annadurai, defeating the Congress Party which had been in power in the state until then, and MGR’s All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam came to power defeating DMK under M. Karunanudhi in 1977, Vijay says history is going to repeat itself in the 2026 assembly elections.

Considering the fact that Annadurai and MGR came to power after a long period of political life and experience with immense dedication, it is ridiculous for Vijay who entered politics one and a half years ago and still not having a strong party network and dedicated cadres, to say he can repeat the feat of former popular Chief Ministers.

A political novice as he is, Vijay must grasp the truth that history doesn’t rewrite itself for political slogans. He dreams of becoming chief minister in another seven months with no clear political agenda.

The Karur disaster has once again exposed an unhealthy culture that has become deeply entrenched in the Tamil Nadu’s political firmament, as a result of the obsessive devotion of the people to film stars.

As a senior journalist and a political analyst has pointed out in ‘The Hindu’ last week after the Karur tragedy in a state that boasts of great strides in the economy, education and social justice, it is unfortunate that the charm of cinema continues to determine the course of politics. 

“Anyone can enter politics. But it is unfortunate that only in Tamil Nadu do all those who act films arrogate themselves the right enter the field simply because they had essayed roles in which they were seen saving people and fighting tooth and nail for justice. And when that happens, ideologically inclined people and those dedicated to public causes simply look on. They are left with no choice but to throw their hands in despair,” he further lamented.