"Indecent, Perverse": Vijay Slams MK Stalin's Remark On TVK's Woman Candidate

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay has hit out at DMK chief and former Chief Minister MK Stalin over his comments on the TVK candidate for the Dharapuram bypoll.

Stalin had targeted TVK candidate Sathyabhama, calling her "Somersault Bhama" and invited criticism from the ruling party, which accused the former Chief Minister of body-shaming the woman Dalit candidate and demanded an apology.

Attacking Stalin, Vijay called his comments uncivilised. "Under the guise of a campaign public meeting for the Dharapuram constituency by-election, Mr Stalin, the leader of the evil force that is the DMK, has conducted a defamatory and utterly uncivilized gathering. Regarding our Dharapuram constituency candidate, Sister Mrs Sathiyabama, he has resorted to caricature mockery and spoken in the most indecent manner, deriving perverse pleasure from it," Vijay posted on X.

Calling the DMK a repeat offender when it comes to comments on women, he said people will not forget the party. "These evil forces, who are experts at speaking obscenely about women, and that too, with women seated right beside them, will receive a fitting retort from the people of Tamil Nadu and the people of the Dharapuram constituency."

தாராபுரம் தொகுதி இடைத்தேர்தல் பரப்புரைப் பொதுக்கூட்டம் என்ற பெயரில், தீய சக்தியான தி.மு.க. சார்பில் ஓர் அவதூறு மற்றும் அநாகரிகக் கூட்டத்தை நடத்தியுள்ளார், அதன் தலைவர் திரு. மு.க.ஸ்டாலின் அவர்கள்.

நமது தாராபுரம் தொகுதி வேட்பாளரான சகோதரி திருமதி சத்தியபாமா அவர்கள் குறித்து, உருவ…

— TVK Vijay (@TVKVijayHQ) October 3, 2026

"As the son, brother, and younger sibling of Tamil Nadu's women, I convey my strongest condemnation to this evil force, the DMK, which continues to speak obscenely about women," Vijay concluded.

Read | "Somersault Bhama": MK Stalin's Comment Invites TVK's Body-Shaming Charge

Stalin was campaigning in bypoll-bound Dharapuram, where he attacked the ruling TVK over what he described as "horse-trading" and the engineering of a split in the AIADMK.

He also targeted Sathyabhama, who had won the Dharapuram constituency as an AIADMK candidate in the recent Assembly election and resigned from the seat weeks later before switching to the ruling TVK. She is now contesting the bypoll as the TVK candidate.

Referring to allegations of money being involved in the political switch, Stalin said: "You people now call their candidate who acted against truth as Suitcase-Bhama. There is also another name - Somersault Bhama. I don't know how she did the somersault with that figure."

The reference to Sathyabhama's physical appearance triggered a sharp response from the TVK.

TVK leader and Health Minister Arun Raj accused Stalin of body-shaming Sathyabhama and said the remark amounted to an insult to women and the Dalit community. The party has demanded an apology from the DMK chief.

The controversy comes against the backdrop of allegations of horse-trading facing the ruling TVK.

The TVK has denied allegations of horse-trading and has argued that elected legislators are entitled to resign and join another party, without attracting disqualification under the anti-defection law.