New Delhi: A political storm has erupted after a now-deleted X post by Aadhav Arjuna, General Secretary of actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), urged Tamil Nadu’s youth to “revolt” against the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) – drawing parallels with youth-led uprisings in Sri Lanka and Nepal.
The post, shared less than 48 hours after the deadly stampede at Vijay’s rally in Karur that killed 41 people, has been widely criticised for its timing and tone. DMK MP Kanimozhi slammed the message as “irresponsible” and warned it could incite violence.
Sources in the TVK said the post was taken down immediately and distanced the party from Arjuna’s comments. “The party and Vijay will never instigate people or violence,” they told NDTV.
In his Tamil-language post, Arjuna declared, “A youth-led revolution is the only solution. ‘Gen Z’ revolted in Sri Lanka, Nepal against the ruling government. Here also, the youth will lead a revolution.” He also accused Tamil Nadu police of assaulting citizens “for simply walking on the road” and arresting people for expressing opinions on social media.
Separately, Arjuna has moved the Madras High Court seeking directions to allow Vijay to visit the families of the victims and demanded that the stampede probe, currently handled by the state police, be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The tragedy has triggered a war of words between the DMK and TVK. The TVK alleged a conspiracy, blaming power outages and crowd mismanagement for the chaos, while the DMK denied wrongdoing and accused the TVK of failing to implement basic safety measures.
Chief Minister MK Stalin, in a video statement, assured that his government would act on the recommendations of a one-member inquiry panel. He also appealed to political parties and the public not to spread rumours, referencing claims of delayed autopsies and medical procedures.
Police, however, have pinned the blame on Vijay’s campaign bus making unscheduled stops and conducting an impromptu roadshow without permission, which they say led to the overcrowding and eventual stampede.
The incident has also opened a political opportunity for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has historically struggled to gain ground in Tamil Nadu. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has announced that an eight-MP delegation will visit Karur to conduct its own inquiry and amplify its presence ahead of the 2026 state elections.
