# Tamil Nadu Assembly Row Erupts Over CM Vijay's Jaw Gesture Toward Stalin, CM Issues Clarification

> Tamil Nadu CM Vijay placed his palm on his jaw while referring to former CM M.K. Stalin's MISA-era arrest in the assembly, a gesture the opposition called body-shaming linked to Stalin's broken jaw, prompting Vijay to issue a clarification on X.

**Type:** article · **Category:** Politics · **Published:** 2026-09-08 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/politics/jabare-para-hatha-rakhane-ke-ishare-ko-lekara-vipaksha-ne-ghera-mukhyamntri-vijay-ko-deni-pari-saphai-29635 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** Tamil Nadu Assembly row, CM Vijay jaw gesture, MK Stalin MISA arrest, DMK protest, body-shaming controversy, TVK DMK clash

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.

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## 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.

## Why this happened
The controversy stems from Monday's assembly debate on the Police Department's grant request, during which Chief Minister Vijay referred to former Chief Minister M.K. Stalin's arrest under MISA during the Emergency.

- **Immediate trigger:** Stalin has repeatedly cited his MISA-era arrest in the past, and it was while speaking on this that Vijay placed his hand on his jaw, a gesture the opposition read as deliberate.
- **Historical background:** According to CPM leader P Shanmugam, police assaulted Stalin during the Emergency, breaking his jaw, which is why any reference to his jaw is such a sensitive issue in Tamil Nadu politics.
- **Intent still disputed:** Vijay's clarification insists the gesture was entirely unintentional, while the opposition maintains it was a deliberate act of body-shaming, so the true intent behind it remains contested.
- **What comes next:** With DMK legislators demanding the remarks be expunged from the record, the row is likely to resurface in the assembly's coming sessions.

## Questions & Answers

### 1. What triggered the row in the Tamil Nadu assembly?
CM Vijay placed his hand on his jaw while referring to former CM M.K. Stalin's MISA-era arrest during a response on the Police Department's grant request, a gesture the opposition called body-shaming.

### 2. Why did the opposition condemn the gesture?
Because it was widely read as a reference to Stalin's broken jaw, which CPM leader P Shanmugam said was the result of a police assault on Stalin during the Emergency.

### 3. What did DMK legislators do?
DMK MLAs staged a sit-in outside Speaker JCD Prabhakar's chamber demanding the remarks be expunged from the record, until marshals forcibly removed them.

### 4. What did CM Vijay say in his clarification?
Vijay wrote on X that his gestures during his 7.9.2026 response in the assembly came out unintentionally and were not meant to hurt anyone's feelings.

### 5. When did this incident take place?
It happened during Monday's assembly debate on the Police Department's grant request, which Vijay referenced with the date 7.9.2026.

### 6. What did CPM leader P Shanmugam allege?
Shanmugam said mocking someone's physical appearance is condemnable no matter who does it, and called it irresponsible for the Chief Minister himself to do so.

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