Gloves Off Over Vijay's Jaw Gesture, MK Stalin Hits Back, Pulls No Punches

Gloves are off in Tamil Nadu. Two days after the Chief Minister's 'jaw' gesture during a speech in the Assembly, which was seen by the DMK as mocking party chief MK Stalin, the former chief minister has hit back.

In a strong rebuttal of the Chief Minister's gesture, which Vijay later clarified was not intentional, Stalin narrated his experience in prison during the Emergency. He recalled that he got the jaw injury during "torture" in jail.

Stalin, then in his early 20s and a youth wing leader of the DMK, was arrested in early 1976 after the Karunanidhi-led DMK government was dismissed during the Emergency (1975-77).

"We faced several forms of cruelty in the prison. They put us with lepers. Ten of us were locked up in a small room. We had one urinal in the cell. There was stench all around and we had to sleep there only," the Chief Minister recalled.

Detailing the "torture", Stalin added: "Police wouldn't let us sleep at night. They would hit us with laathis and boots. They deployed life convicts to beat us. Chitti Babu MP, who was with me, died in jail. In that assault, my jaw bones broke."

#BREAKING | "CM has no dignity left in him": MK Stalin's response to Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's jibe

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Calling Vijay's gesture "inappropriate", the DMK chief slammed the TVK chief. "Didn't you gesture with your hand pointing at the jaw? Even today I have the scars of the blows I received. I don't deny. For many in public life, particularly many who struggled for Tamils and Tamil Nadu, this kind of clampdown has happened and all of us have come through these experiences. It's nothing new for us to struggle and face consequences."

Read | Vijay's Jaw Gesture: The 1976 MK Stalin Story Behind DMK's Outrage

Asking Vijay to read the history of Tamil Nadu and the DMK, Stalin said: "This is the history from the days of Annadurai, who you call your inspiration. That is the history of DMK and I am proud to be part of it."

Young MK Stalin. Photo Credit: DMK

"Read about my life, my struggle. You don't know the truth," Stalin told Vijay.

During his September 7 speech, in which he targeted the main opposition DMK over alleged corruption, Vijay was seen holding his jaw with one hand as if to lift it.

As the DMK turned up the heat, Vijay clarified that his body language - including the gesture of holding his jaw with one hand - was involuntary and completely unintentional.

Referring to his expression in the Assembly, Vijay said: "My body language was an accidental expression. I would like to make it known that it was not in any way intentional."

In a statement on social media, he added: "Therefore, I kindly request that it should not be interpreted as an act intended to hurt anyone's feelings on a personal level."

DMK leaders claimed Vijay was mocking party president MK Stalin - a reference that carries a painful history for the former chief minister.

In his autobiography, Ungalil Oruvan (One Among You), Stalin describes his arrest in 1976 and his subsequent imprisonment. He also refers to the prison being transformed into a torture chamber, echoing with cries of pain and death.

The controversy has also put Vijay at odds with his ally, the CPM.CPM state secretary P Shanmugam condemned the Chief Minister's gesture, saying Stalin had been severely beaten by the police during the Emergency and that his jaw was broken.