KARUR: The Karur West district office of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) on Chinna Andal Koil Street has remained locked since Saturday night, and calls to key functionaries, including district secretary V.P. Mathiyalagan, went unanswered.
Many from the party who needed their assistance were left alone. Phones of other senior cadres were also switched off.
The silence from the fledgling party, as families mourned 40 deaths in the Karur stampede during Vijay’s campaign, has raised questions about its preparedness and commitment on the ground.
According to sources, Mathiyalagan’s wife was injured in the chaos, and despite repeated attempts, even TNIE could not contact the family.
Several party members admitted privately that many functionaries left the venue in panic with their families.
"I made my parents stand under a bridge at the Velusamypuram entry point to avoid the crowd. On my way home to Pasupathipalayam, I crossed several ambulances. I reached only by 11 p.m.," one functionary said.
The absence of TVK cadres was particularly striking as leaders from DMK, AIADMK, and other parties, including the Chief Minister, visited the Karur Government Hospital (GH) and mortuary on Saturday and Sunday.
Hospital sources confirmed none of the deceased were TVK members, though a cadre named S.Murugan from Vengamedu was shifted to Madurai GH with fractured ribs and respiratory distress on Sunday.
Once a fan club that earned goodwill by organising blood donations and medical camps, TVK today appears unable to mobilise even at a time of tragedy.
"No one received orders from the top leadership to step in. Many left WhatsApp groups fearing police cases," another functionary revealed.
Local residents noted the difference in crowd management compared to other political events. "When Edappadi K. Palaniswami came, people were organised in allotted spaces. This time, it was like a wave of crowd without control," said V. Vetrivel of Velusamypuram, also attributing the lack of space in the area to accommodate such a huge volume.
Cadres conceded their lack of experience. "We are small business owners and office workers. A case will ruin our livelihood, though our advocates will help us," said one.
Others feared direct backlash from victims’ families and from DMK supporters of Minister V. Senthil Balaji, who are more organised in the district.
Party insiders said the sudden decision to start Vijay’s campaign in Karur was politically aimed at challenging Balaji’s stronghold.
"It was to counter the September 17 Mupperum Vizha crowd that dispersed in the rain. Vijay even mocked it as ‘Moonu chair vizha’," one said.
Though TVK has sought a CBI probe in the Madras High Court, no leader has so far visited the injured, victims’ families, or burial grounds, underscoring the organisational vacuum in a party still finding its footing.
When reached out to the party's Joint Secretary C.T. Nirmalkumar, he was not available for a comment.
Even party functionaries admitted they were unable to control the crowd, as many who turned up were not cadres but actor Vijay’s fans unfamiliar with local leaders. One functionary from Aravakurichi recalled being told to "mind his business" when he asked a group not to climb onto shop roofs.