The political confrontation between DMK president MK Stalin and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay escalated on Thursday, with Stalin accusing the actor-turned-politician of turning the Legislative Assembly into a platform for publicity and questioning his handling of governance.
Stalin's remarks came days after Vijay referred to the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) during an Assembly discussion and made a hand gesture near his jaw while speaking about Stalin's detention during the Emergency. The gesture triggered criticism from Opposition members, who interpreted it as a reference to the injuries Stalin suffered while in custody.
Vijay later said the gesture was "not in any way intentional". Stalin, however, revisited the episode and offered a detailed account of his experience in prison.
In a video posted on X, Stalin addressed Vijay as "Thambi [brother] Vijay" and said the history of his imprisonment during the Emergency could not be altered or dismissed. "History can never be changed," Stalin said, while asserting that the experience remained an important part of the DMK's political history.
Stalin recalled the conditions under which political detainees were held during the Emergency. "Ten people were confined in a small room. Inside that room, all of us had to urinate in a single vessel. The place was extremely filthy. That was where we slept," he said.
According to Stalin, prisoners were subjected to physical assaults during their detention. He said detainees were beaten with lathis, kicked with boots and, at times, attacked by life convicts brought into the prison.
He also referred to former parliamentarian and DMK leader Chitti Babu, saying he died in custody following such assaults.'
Stalin directly connected his account of imprisonment to Vijay's controversial Assembly gesture. "My jawbone was fractured because of the beatings. You too showed your jaw by placing your hand there, didn't you? That was correct," Stalin said.
He added, "Even today, I have scars from the beatings. I am not denying that." The DMK chief also challenged Vijay to examine historical records available in the Assembly rather than relying on political arguments made on the floor of the House.
Stalin also narrated the circumstances surrounding his arrest during the Emergency, recalling the dismissal of the DMK government headed by his father and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on January 31, 1976. Karunanidhi had opposed the Emergency and criticised MISA. Stalin said police had gone to the family's Gopalapuram residence to arrest him under the law, but he was away campaigning at the time.
"I was not at home that day. Kalaignar told them, 'The boy has gone for campaigning. He will return tomorrow. Once he comes, I myself will call you. You can come and arrest him,'" Stalin recalled.
Stalin said he returned the following day, after which Karunanidhi himself called the police and asked them to proceed with the arrest.
He described the experience of facing repression during the Emergency as part of the DMK's longstanding political history.
"Opposing something and facing the consequences of that opposition is nothing new to us," he said.
The dispute also expanded beyond MISA and the jaw gesture, with Stalin questioning Vijay's references to the Sarkaria Commission and allegations of corruption involving the Karunanidhi government. Stalin argued that governments had changed multiple times at both the state and Union levels after the commission was constituted, yet the allegations did not result in the kind of action that would have followed had they been established.
"After the Sarkaria Commission was constituted, governments changed several times at both the Union and state levels. If any of these allegations had been true, action would certainly have been taken," he said.
The DMK president also took issue with Vijay's reference to an Enforcement Directorate letter during the Assembly proceedings. Stalin alleged that "95 per cent" of ED-linked cases had failed to result in convictions and accused the central agency of being used in political vendetta.
Stalin's strongest criticism, however, was directed at what he described as Vijay's reliance on social media publicity and image-building.
"You [CM Vijay] turned the Assembly itself into a place where reels happen, standing on the bridge we built and doing photoshoots," Stalin said.
He further accused the Chief Minister of approaching governance as though it were a film production. The exchange marks a sharp escalation between the DMK and Vijay's political camp, with the MISA controversy now becoming part of a broader confrontation over political history, governance and the use of the Assembly platform.
