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BJP’s Annamalai attacked actor-politician Kamal Haasan, accusing him of siding with the ruling DMK government over the recent stampede at actor Vijay’s rally in Karur.
BJP leader K Annamalai and actor-politician Kamal Haasan. (PTI/File)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader K Annamalai launched a scathing attack on actor-politician Kamal Haasan, accusing him of siding with the ruling DMK government over the recent tragedy in Karur, where a stampede at actor Vijay’s political rally left 41 dead.
Referring to Kamal Haasan’s remarks on the Karur stampede, Annamalai said the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) chief had “sold his soul long ago for one Rajya Sabha seat.”
“Kamal Haasan has sold his soul a long time ago for one Rajya Sabha seat. Post that, whatever Kamal Haasan speaks, people of Tamil Nadu are not going to give him that attention or take him seriously,” he told news agency ANI.
“He has every right to speak, but going to Karur and saying that the administration is not at fault, who will accept it? Everybody knows the administration is at fault,” Annamalai added. “Kamal Haasan is a fine actor, no doubt about that. But with respect to politics, whatever he speaks, we all know that it is one-sided and he wants to favour DMK on even an issue like Karur.”
He also attacked Haasan for not visiting Karur even once before the tragedy that took place at Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay’s mega rally.
What Did Kamal Haasan Say?
Kamal Haasan visited the scene of the Karur stampede, describing it as a tragedy and asserting that the organisers, in particular, had a responsibility and it was time to apologise and accept the mistake.
The Rajya Sabha MP praised DMK leader and former Minister V Senthil Balaji, who was coordinating relief and rescue measures and liaising with ministers and officials after the tragic incident. He commended Balaji for his leadership quality by rushing on time to the stampede site on September 27 and extending support to the affected people and thereby averting further loss of lives.
“A tragedy should not be viewed only in terms of numbers; the count of those who lost their lives, it was about the grief and pain endured by the families of the deceased, and the loss of precious human lives. Police probe is on into the stampede and there was no need to speculate on anything such as conspiracy,” he said, while appealing Chief Minister MK Stalin to issue stronger norms for political parties for campaigning.
The tragic incident occurred during a massive political rally led by Vijay, where an unexpected surge in the crowd resulted in the death of at least 41 people and left several others injured.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear on October 10 a plea challenging a Madras High Court order refusing a CBI probe into the September 27 stampede at Karur. A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran took note of the appeal of BJP leader Uma Anandan seeking a CBI probe into the stampede.
A single-member inquiry commission has been constituted by the state government, which is headed by retired judge Justice Aruna Jagadeesan. CM Stalin has assured that a model guideline for political rallies and public gatherings will soon be framed based on findings and recommendations by the commission.
(with inputs from agencies)
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…Read More
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More
October 07, 2025, 23:30 IST
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