Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief MK Stalin on Thursday responded to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay’s jaw gesture, which was widely interpreted as a veiled jab at the former chief minister’s broken jaw.
Recalling the Maintenance of Internal Security Act, or MISA, horror during the period of emergency (1975-1977), Stalin said that he was “tortured in jail” and faced “severe police brutality”.
“Yes. My jaw was broken in jail”, he said in a video message posted on X. Mimicking CM Vijay’s gesture, he continued, “Even today, the scars remain”.
வீட்ல என்னை meet பண்ணப்ப சொன்னதை மறந்துட்டீங்களா தம்பி விஜய்? pic.twitter.com/kzpwXi14L8
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) September 10, 2026
“History remains unchanged. you have just repeated the false accusations
done throughout history”, he said, targeting Vijay.
The controversy stems from Vijay’s reply to the debate on demands for grants for the police department in the Assembly Monday, September 7. Targeting the DMK, the Chief Minister invoked the party’s frequent mentions of the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) from the Emergency era.
During the reply, he placed the palm of his right hand near his jaw , a gesture that was interpreted at a purported mockery of Stalin’s jaw injury sustained during his imprisonment during Emergency.
However, Vijay said his gesture was not intentional.
சட்டமன்றத்தில் 7.9.2026 அன்று காவல்துறை மானிய கோரிக்கையில், என்னுடைய பதிலுரையின் இடையேயான எனது உடல்மொழி எதேச்சையாக வெளிப்பட்டதுதானே தவிர, அது எவ்வகையிலும் உள்நோக்கம் கொண்டதில்லை என்பதைத் தெரிவித்துக்கொள்கிறேன். ஆகவே, தனிப்பட்ட முறையில் யார் மனதையும் புண்படுத்துகிற செயலாக அதை…
— TVK Vijay (@TVKVijayHQ) September 8, 2026
“My body language, which inadvertently came across in between, was not in any way intentional. It was purely spontaneous and carried no ulterior motive. I requested that it should not be interpreted as an act intended to hurt anyone’s feelings on a personal level”, he wrote in a post on X.
MK Stalin, then the young wing leader, was apprehended in early 1976 after the then Karunanidhi-led DMK government was dismissed under MISA during the period of Emergency. He was lodged in the Madras Central Prison for several months before the Emergency ended in 1977.
