A heated exchange in the Tamil Nadu assembly on Monday has snowballed into a full-blown political controversy. During a sharp back-and-forth between the ruling TVK and the opposition DMK, the arrest of former Chief Minister M.K. Stalin under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA), 1971, during the Emergency era resurfaced as a flashpoint. The house witnessed loud protests, a standoff with the Speaker, and even Stalin himself criticised the manner in which proceedings were being conducted. The row began after Chief Minister Vijay, while hitting out at Stalin, gestured toward his jaw, an act opposition parties across the board condemned as body-shaming. Vijay later clarified that his body language had been entirely unintentional.
What happened inside the assembly
Responding to the Police Department's grant request, Chief Minister Vijay brought up Stalin's MISA-era arrest. "Our friends keep bringing up MISA on every issue," he said, suggesting that Stalin, who has repeatedly referenced this arrest over the years, and the respected elders in the house were all well aware of MISA's history. The real trouble began when, while making this point, Vijay placed the palm of his right hand on his own jaw. Opposition members in the house immediately read the gesture as a direct reference to Stalin's broken jaw, and condemnation followed almost instantly.
DMK stages sit-in, clashes with marshals
Vijay's gesture triggered sharp anger in the opposition camp. It wasn't just the DMK, several opposition parties present in the house joined in condemning the gesture and called it shameful. DMK legislators gathered outside Speaker JCD Prabhakar's chamber and staged a sit-in, demanding that the Chief Minister's remarks be expunged from the assembly record. Before the Speaker could rule on the matter, marshals forcibly removed the protesting DMK MLAs, further heightening tensions inside the house.
CM Vijay issues clarification on X
As the controversy grew, Chief Minister Vijay put out a clarification in a post on X. He wrote that his body language during his response on the Police Department's grant request in the assembly on 7.9.2026 was in no way deliberate. "My gestures, which came out unintentionally, were in no way deliberate," Vijay said. He further requested that the act not be viewed as one intended to hurt anyone's personal feelings.
CPM leader explains how Stalin's jaw was broken
CPM leader P Shanmugam also weighed in on X. He wrote that it is a well-known historical fact that the Emergency era saw major struggles to protect democracy alongside repression and excesses. According to Shanmugam, police brutally assaulted former Chief Minister Thiru M.K. Stalin during that period, breaking his jaw. "Mocking someone's physical appearance is condemnable, no matter who does it," Shanmugam said, adding that it was irresponsible for the Chief Minister himself to do so. The episode has further deepened the rift between TVK and DMK in Tamil Nadu's politics, and the issue looks set to resurface in the assembly's upcoming sessions.
