Palaniswami Lambasts CM Stalin Over Karur Tragedy: Demands CBI Probe, Calls Inquiry an Eyewash

Chennai: AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami slammed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, accusing him of releasing a “staged, scripted video” in response to the Karur stampede tragedy. In a strongly worded statement, EPS called the video a “shameful display” and labelled Stalin a “puppet Chief Minister.”

EPS, who visited Karur to pay homage to the deceased and console grieving families, criticised the DMK government for politicising the tragedy. “People needed compassion, not drama,” he said, adding that the CM’s focus on alleged “slander” on social media was a drift from real issues.

EPS’s Sharp Questions to CM Stalin   

Palaniswami raised a series of pointed questions targeting CM Stalin, accusing the DMK government of deflecting criticism by labelling it as “slander.”

Was it slander when posters were pasted under the name of “Tamil Nadu Students’ Union”?

Is it slander to highlight campaign irregularities, “ambulance politics,” and viral lathi-charge videos?

Was it slander when a DMK minister was caught faking tears for the cameras?

Is it slander that the Deputy CM posed for a photoshoot in Karur before flying off to Dubai?

EPS questioned whether exposing key issues — such as politically motivated posters, campaign irregularities, alleged staged emotional displays by ministers, and the Deputy CM’s Dubai trip following the Karur tragedy — can truly be called slander. 

DMK's Failure to Prevent Tragedies 

EPS also condemned Stalin’s presence at the Chennai Air Show while several lives were lost in Karur, and questioned the government’s failure to prevent tragedies like the Kallakurichi liquor deaths.

Calling the one-man inquiry commission a “complete eyewash,” EPS said the people of Tamil Nadu do not trust the investigation and demanded a CBI probe for true justice.

“In times of unbearable distress, the people need accountability — not theatrics,” EPS declared, urging the Chief Minister to “get real” and stop insulting public sentiment with “fake photoshoots and staged dramas.”