Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay | Photo Credit: Vengadesh R

Ten months after a fateful night in Karur when a stampede at his political rally claimed the lives of 41 individuals, CM Joseph Vijay returned to the city on Friday and stepped up the attack on his opposition parties.

With his well honed heroic style and cinematic dialogues, the TVK president did not pull any punches.

At a rally on Friday, he kicked off his address poignantly emphasising the deep scar that the incident left on him including the innocent children who lost their lives.

He claimed that he was misled by police officers acting under the orders of others. “I live with the pain of losing my brothers and sisters and you continue to blame me saying that I went into hiding. I am asking you, did the police provide appropriate security in Karur that day,” he said. 

Vijay also announced plans to set up a memorial in Karur and handed over government job orders to the victims’ family members

Beyond the stampede, he attacked the alleged corrupt governance of the previous DMK government, describing it as an ‘evil force’.

“In every department, they keep saying money is being looted in the name of ‘party fund’. The funniest part is that in the Assembly, I merely said party fund. I didn’t mention which party, whose fund, or anybody’s name. But the moment I said party fund, they immediately got up and reacted,” he added

The Chief Minister reinforced his party’s commitment to corruption free governance and urged the public to completely refuse any demands of bribes. 

“An elderly gentleman told me that today not only are our works getting done, but they are treating us with respect. They make us sit down and speak to us politely. This never happened before,” he added.

While rebutting criticism that he has remained quiet in office, Vijay said his government follows the principle of ‘talk less, work more’.

Vijay also laid the foundation stone for a new non-leather footwear manufacturing unit of Evervan Footwear. which will produce for the German footwear giant Adidas. The plant is set to be established with an investment of ₹1,700 crore and is expected to create opportunities for 13,500 people. During the ceremony , he also signed the first Adidas shoe made in Tamil Nadu

Published on July 10, 2026