Vijay Clarifies Gesture Amid Stalin Body-Shaming Row
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has clarified that a gesture made during his Assembly speech was unintentional after opposition leaders accused him of attempting to body-shame former Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin.
Vijay Says Assembly Gesture Was Unintentional
Vijay said his body language during his September 7 response to the police department’s demand for grants was an involuntary expression and carried no deliberate meaning.
He urged people not to interpret the gesture as an attempt to personally hurt or insult anyone, responding to criticism that intensified after video clips from his Assembly speech circulated online.
The controversy arose when Vijay briefly placed his hand against his jaw while referring to the Emergency-era Maintenance of Internal Security Act, or MISA.
DMK Accuses Vijay of Targeting MK Stalin
Opposition leaders alleged that the gesture was intended to mock Stalin over claims that he suffered a serious jaw injury while detained during the Emergency.
CPI(M) leader P Shanmugam criticised Vijay, describing ridicule based on a person’s physical condition as unacceptable. However, accounts of the exact nature of Stalin’s alleged jaw injury during his detention have not been conclusively established.
DMK legislators also protested outside Assembly Speaker J C D Prabhakar’s chamber and demanded action over Vijay’s remarks.
Row Follows Vijay’s Attack on DMK
The gesture occurred during a combative Assembly speech in which Vijay accused the DMK of corruption and questioned the party’s claims of clean governance.
He referred to Enforcement Directorate documents and the Sarkaria Commission while targeting the opposition over alleged wrongdoing. The DMK rejected the allegations and staged a walkout led by Opposition Leader Udhayanidhi Stalin.
Vijay’s subsequent clarification sought to separate the political accusations made during his speech from the controversy surrounding his body language.
