‘Not intended to hurt anyone’: CM Vijay clarifies gesture in TN assembly after DMK protest | India News
NEW DELHI: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay on Tuesday clarified that a gesture he made during his Assembly speech was inadvertent and “not in any way intentional”, after the DMK accused him of attempting to body-shame former Chief Minister MK Stalin.The clarification came amid a major uproar in the Tamil Nadu assembly, where DMK MLAs demanded that Vijay’s remarks, including references based on Enforcement Directorate documents and the Sarkaria Commission, be expunged from the records. The protesting legislators were later evicted from the House by marshals after Speaker JCD Prabhakar rejected their demand.In a post on X, Vijay said his body language during his response to the police department’s grant request on September 7 should not be interpreted as a personal attack.“I wish to clarify that, during my response speech on the police department’s grant request in the Legislative Assembly on 7.9.2026, my body language, which inadvertently came across in between, was not in any way intentional. Therefore, I kindly request that it not be interpreted as an act intended to hurt anyone’s feelings on a personal level,” Vijay said.The controversy centres on a gesture Vijay made while referring to the history of the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA), when he placed his right palm against his jaw. The gesture was widely interpreted as a reference to Stalin’s broken jaw, which he suffered after being assaulted during his detention under MISA during the Emergency.CPI(M) leader P Shanmugam criticised Vijay, accusing him of making a personal attack on Stalin.“It is a well-known historical fact that the Emergency period in India witnessed massive struggles to protect democracy, accompanied by repression and excesses. During that time, former Chief Minister Thiru MK Stalin was brutally assaulted by the police, resulting in a broken jaw,” Shanmugam said in a post on X.“Ridiculing someone’s physical appearance is condemnable, regardless of who engages in it; for the Chief Minister himself to do so is an act of irresponsibility,” he added.
DMK protests over Vijay’s remarks
The assembly witnessed heated exchanges on Tuesday after DMK Whip EV Velu demanded that Vijay’s references to ED allegations of graft and the Sarkaria Commission be removed from the records.Velu also objected to references to people who were not present in the House to defend themselves, as well as references to deceased individuals.He argued that the Sarkaria Commission had examined 28 charges and claimed that no legal action could follow as the charges were not proved.“Bringing this up without evidence is misleading,” he contended.Velu also objected to Vijay’s references to the MISA period, saying that repeated discussion of the issue and personal attacks on individuals were inappropriate.State Law Minister R Nirmal Kumar defended Vijay’s remarks, saying they were based on official ED documents and the Sarkaria Commission report. He also reiterated allegations of corruption against the then DMK regime.Kumar disputed claims concerning Stalin’s arrest under MISA, arguing that it was linked to derogatory comments made against former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi regarding her “21-point programme”.
Share your thoughts in the comments
Be respectful · TOI community guidelines
Leader of the House K A Sengottaiyan said there was no reason to expunge Vijay’s remarks, citing a precedent in which late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had also spoken about the issue.The DMK members continued to protest after Speaker Prabhakar ruled against expunging the remarks. Several MLAs gathered before the Speaker’s podium and raised slogans despite repeated appeals to return to their seats.Prabhakar eventually ordered marshals to evict the protesting MLAs. The legislators continued raising slogans as they were taken out of the Assembly hall.
