DMK president and former Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin responded to Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s controversial gesture by proudly acknowledging the scar he bears from the Emergency, when he was detained under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA).
“No matter how much anyone tries to demean me, history cannot be changed. It will remain the same forever,” Stalin said, referring to his jaw.
In a nearly 10-minute video message shared on social media on Thursday, September 10, Stalin recalled his MISA detention in 1976, saying he developed facial stiffness after being subjected to police brutality. Rather than denying the injury or responding in kind, Stalin said he was proud of the history of repression he had endured as part of the DMK’s political struggle.
“You (Vijay) also held your hand against your jaw like this, didn't you? That was correct. I still have scars from the injuries I suffered. I am not denying it,” Stalin said.
Recalling his imprisonment during the Emergency, Stalin described the conditions in which he and other political prisoners were held and the physical abuse they were subjected to.
“I suffered many atrocities in prison. They took us to a place where leprosy patients had been kept and confined 10 people in a small room. All of us had to urinate into a single pot inside that room. The entire place was extremely filthy and foul-smelling. We had to sleep there,” he said.
“At night, they would not allow us to sleep. They would beat us with police batons and stomp on us with their boots,” he added.
The former CM also recalled the death of DMK leader and former MP Chitti Babu, who, he said, died in prison after being beaten. He said the assaults fractured his jaw and left scars that remain to this day.
Stalin said such repression was part of the history of the DMK and other political movements that fought for Tamil Nadu.
“This has been the history of the DMK since the time of our ideological leader, Arignar Anna. I am proud that I too am part of that history. No matter how much anyone tries to demean me, history cannot be changed. It will remain the same forever,” he said.
The DMK chief then turned to Vijay’s conduct as Chief Minister, recalling a meeting at his residence after Vijay assumed office. He said Vijay had apologised for the criticism he directed at Stalin during the election campaign.
“I told you, ‘It is alright, brother. I have not taken any of that to heart. But now that you are the Chief Minister of a state, whenever you speak about anyone, speak with that dignity.’ It appears that you have forgotten all that,” Stalin said.
He urged Vijay to ensure that his words and body language reflected the dignity of the office he holds. “We are role models for the people. Do not forget that,” Stalin said, adding that the Chief Minister must act with a sense of responsibility.
Stalin criticises TVK government
Stalin then turned his focus to the current Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) administration, accusing it of using social media reels and publicity to conceal what he described as failures in governance.
“You are treating the Assembly as though it is a place for making reels. You are also running the administration as though it were a cinema shooting, standing on bridges built by us and conducting photoshoots,” Stalin said.
“To hide your incompetent administration, you are putting out different kinds of reels and deceiving an entire generation. But the reality is different,” he alleged.
Stalin attacked the government over law and order, development projects, and unfulfilled electoral promises. He alleged that murders, thefts, and crimes against women were occurring regularly and claimed that the state’s law and order situation had deteriorated.
He also criticised the government over its decision to cancel the Parandur airport project, alleging that it would set Tamil Nadu’s development back by 15 years.
On welfare promises, Stalin accused the TVK government of failing to deliver on commitments, including a complete farm loan waiver, six free LPG cylinders a year for every family, and a monthly Rs 2,500 entitlement for women.
He said the government had instead restricted the LPG benefit to three cylinders for eligible beneficiaries and continued to provide the Rs 1,000 women's entitlement introduced by the previous government.
Stalin also urged voters, particularly young people who had voted for change, to assess whether the change they expected had materialised. “People voted for change, particularly our youth. They must now ask themselves: what change has actually happened? Is this the right kind of change?” he said.
He also defended the DMK against corruption allegations raised by Vijay in the Assembly by citing the Sarkaria Commission. Stalin argued that governments had changed several times at both the Union and in Tamil Nadu after the commission was constituted and claimed that action would have been taken if the allegations had been established.
He also questioned Vijay’s reliance on an Enforcement Directorate (ED) communication to raise corruption allegations against the DMK, alleging that central agencies had frequently been used for political purposes including on their allies, the Congress.
Vijay says gesture was unintentional
After facing strong backlash for the alleged discriminating gesture in the Assembly, Vijay had said that it was not intentional. In a statement, he said his body language during his speech had “inadvertently” come across that way and requested that it not be interpreted as an attempt to hurt anyone personally.
His action was also criticised by Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi founder and Chidambaram MP Thol. Thirumavalavan. The VCK is currently in alliance with the TVK.
The VCK chief said that the Chief Minister’s body language was undignified and appeared to mock Stalin’s physical appearance.
“Under no circumstances is it civilised to belittle or hurt a person’s sense of self-respect. Political criticism directed at an individual is one thing; criticism that personally wounds an individual’s self-respect is another. An approach that hurts even an ordinary person who does not possess the advantages of education, economic means, or authority can never be acceptable,” he said.
He also criticised Law Minister CTR Nirmal Kumar’s remarks on Stalin’s MISA detention, calling them a historical error and urging the minister to withdraw the statement. “The nature of the state terror unleashed during the MISA period is well known across the country. It is condemnable that a completely erroneous statement was placed on record regarding the DMK president, who was subjected to that brutal repression. We urge the Honourable Minister to announce that he is withdrawing the statement,” he said.