Why did Vijay arrive at Karur venue 7 hours late, asks DMK leader Senthil Balaji

Karur, (Tamil Nadu)m Oct 1 (PTI) Karur DMK MLA V Senthil Balaji on Wednesday lashed out at actor-politician Vijay over the September 27 stampede at the TVK rally that killed 41 persons, asking why Vijay came to the venue after a delay of seven hours.

Talking to reporters here, he said, "this incident should not be politicised. Whichever party they may be, but they should be held responsible for it." As many as 41 people lost their lives while over 60 were injured during the rally of TVK leader and actor Vijay on September 27 in Velusamypuram in the district.

"There are some questions that need to be answered. Why did the TVK Chief come to the venue after a seven hour delay? Second, next day at Velusamypuram I myself saw about 1,000 to 2,000 slippers lying on the road. But, did you manage to see at least one water bottle. If people had used at least one water bottle, there should be at least the used bottle (along with the slippers) ", the former minister said.

"A political party should provide water and biscuits to the people who come to attend such meetings. It is their responsibility," he said.

"If he (TVK Chief Vijay) had come to the meeting as planned, such incidents would not have occurred at the first place. This was one of the observations made by members of the public with whom I spoke to," he claimed. PTI VIJ SA