Chennai: The political battle between Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and the opposition DMK intensified following a controversial gesture made by the Chief Minister during his speech in the State Assembly.
The dispute began during Vijay’s September 7 response to the debate on the Police Department’s demands for grants. While referring to the DMK and the Emergency-era Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA), Vijay made a hand movement near his jaw. The gesture was widely interpreted by DMK leaders and some Left parties as a reference to former Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s jaw injury during his detention during the Emergency.
The incident quickly triggered a political backlash, with critics accusing Vijay of crossing the line between political criticism and personal attacks. CPI(M) state secretary P. Shanmugam described the gesture as irresponsible and accused the Chief Minister of using the Assembly floor for personal attacks rather than focusing on public issues.
Stalin camp hits back
The DMK has also targeted Vijay over his style of functioning, accusing the new administration of turning governance and Assembly proceedings into a political spectacle.
Udhayanidhi Stalin had earlier taken a swipe at Vijay following the heated Assembly session, using the language of cinema to criticise the Chief Minister’s performance and accusing him of delivering political “dialogues” instead of adequately addressing questions raised by the Opposition.
The criticism has added another layer to the increasingly personal political rivalry between the TVK government and the DMK. Vijay’s background as a leading Tamil film actor has repeatedly become part of the political discourse surrounding his leadership.
Vijay says gesture was not intentional
Amid the controversy, Vijay issued a clarification, saying that the body language during his Assembly speech was inadvertent and was not intended to hurt anyone personally.
He said the gesture should not be interpreted as a deliberate attempt to offend or target an individual.
The clarification, however, has not ended the political controversy. DMK leaders and Left parties have continued to question the appropriateness of the gesture, particularly because it occurred during a discussion involving the Emergency and Stalin’s political history.
Speaker rejects demand to expunge remarks
The controversy also reached the Speaker’s office after DMK legislators demanded action over Vijay’s remarks. Speaker JCD Prabhakar rejected the demand to expunge the Chief Minister’s references to MISA, stating that the issues had already been discussed in the House.
The episode highlights the increasingly confrontational relationship between the ruling TVK and the DMK. With both sides trading accusations over governance, political history and Assembly conduct, the controversy is likely to remain a talking point in Tamil Nadu politics.
For Vijay, the episode also underlines the challenge of transitioning from a hugely popular cinema career to the more closely scrutinised world of electoral politics, where gestures, statements and Assembly exchanges can quickly become major political controversies.
