Agencies | Chennai:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay on Tuesday clarified his viral gesture in the state Assembly, which was widely interpreted as a reference to DMK president M.K. Stalin’s jaw, saying the body language was spontaneous and was not intended to hurt or offend anyone.
Vijay faced criticism after he was seen touching his jaw during his reply to the Police Department’s Demands for Grants in the Assembly on September 7. The gesture was interpreted by some as mocking Stalin’s physical appearance, prompting allegations that the Chief Minister had engaged in “body-shaming”.
Taking to X on Tuesday, Vijay said the gesture had no ulterior motive.
“I wish to clarify that the body language I displayed inadvertently during my reply to the Police Department’s Demands for Grants in the Legislative Assembly on 7 September 2026 was purely spontaneous and was not intended to convey any ulterior motive whatsoever,” he wrote.
“Therefore, I sincerely request that it may not be construed as an act intended to hurt or offend anyone personally,” he added.
The clarification came after CPI(M) leader P. Shanmugam criticised Vijay over the gesture, saying the Assembly should not become a platform for personal attacks.
Shanmugam recalled the Emergency period, when widespread protests were held in defence of democracy and were followed by repression and excesses. He also referred to the alleged assault on Stalin during the Emergency, when the DMK leader was detained under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA).
“Ridiculing someone’s physical appearance is condemnable, regardless of who engages in it; for the Chief Minister himself to do so is an act of irresponsibility,” Shanmugam said.
During his Assembly speech, Vijay also levelled a series of corruption allegations against the previous DMK government, referring to an Enforcement Directorate document and the decades-old Sarkaria Commission report.
Vijay claimed that the Justice Sarkaria Commission, which examined allegations against the then DMK government in the 1970s, had recorded instances in which “party funds” were allegedly demanded in connection with the award of government contracts.
He argued that the alleged practices described in the past bore similarities to issues being raised in the present.
Former minister Udhayanidhi Stalin sought permission to respond to the allegations, but amid disruptions in the House, the Speaker did not allow an immediate reply.
Vijay also questioned the DMK’s “Mr Clean” image, arguing that records relating to past and present corruption allegations could be found in the Assembly library.
“Whenever my friends or I speak, just by mentioning the word ‘corruption’, they immediately jump in and ask, ‘give us proof, give us proof.’ But they never mention one thing—have you noticed it? They never say, ‘we have never committed corruption’,” Vijay said.
Vijay also criticised derogatory political remarks targeting women and referred to former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa and the controversial 1989 Assembly episode.
The Chief Minister’s remarks and allegations drew a strong response from the DMK, which rejected the charges and questioned their evidentiary basis. DMK legislators also staged a walkout from the Assembly.
The controversy over Vijay’s gesture has added another layer to the increasingly sharp political exchanges between the ruling side and the DMK, with the Chief Minister now seeking to make clear that his body language was not intended as a personal attack on Stalin.
