Leaders condole death of party men

In a statement here on Tuesday, Jayalalithaa condoled the death of S Karunakaran of Chidambaram and M Radharishnan of Jayamkondan in Ariyalur district, who suffered ill-health while returning home. They were rushed to a hospital, but died on the way, she said.

Expressing deep anguish over their deaths, Jayalalithaa offered her heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for their souls to rest in peace. 

She said since the model code of conduct was in force for the elections, financial assistance on behalf of the party would be given to their families after the polls.

DMK President M Karunanidhi and DMDK founder and actor-politician Vijayakant also condoled the death of AIADMK functionaries. In a statement, Karunanidhi alleged that two people had died due to stampede and 17 others were admitted to hospitals. Expressing his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members and consoling those admitted in hospital, he condemned the police department for not letting them out and forcing them to sit under scorching sun. 

Vijayakant demanded action against those responsible for the incident. He also demanded that adequate compensation be paid to their families. 

People’s Welfare Front (PWF) Coordinator and MDMK General Secretary Vaiko and PMK Founder Dr S Ramadoss condemned the deaths and advised political parties to refrain from holding public meetings under hot sun.

Vaiko, in a statement here, sought to know what action the Election Commission was going to take on this. He also claimed the victims were made to sit in hot sun since 10 am for the meeting and they suffered from dehydration. 

Claiming that four people had died, Vaiko said police, however, said only 62-year-old Karunakaran and 45-year-old Radhakrishnan had died. Expressing his condolences to the bereaved families on behalf of the PWF, Vaiko also demanded the AIADMK to provide a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to their families. 

Ramadoss, in a statement, demanded a judicial probe and demanded a compensation of Rs 25 lakh each to both the families. He said the probe should be conducted by a sitting high court judge.