- MK Stalin's arrest under MISA during Emergency sparked heated assembly debate this week
- Vijay questioned Stalin's arrest, using a gesture referencing his broken jaw
- Opposition condemned Vijay's gesture as body-shaming and protested in the assembly
The arrest of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin under MISA or the Maintenance of Internal Security Act, 1971, during the Emergency became the focus of fiery exchanges between the ruling TVK and the opposition DMK in Tamil Nadu assembly this week. It led to vociferous protest in the assembly, a stand-off with the Speaker and sharp remarks from Stalin about the way the house is being conducted.
The charge was led by Chief Minister Vijay, who launched an all-out attack on Stalin on Monday, and even appeared to refer to his broken jaw with a gesture that earned censure from the opposition cutting across party lines, who called it body-shaming. Vijay said it was just inadvertant body language.
Vijay Questions Arrest Under MISA
"For everything our friends keep saying, we have seen MISA. Not sure what to do if they bring in MISA for everything. Respectful elders, everyone knows about the history of that MISA," Vijay said, putting a sharp question mark against Stalin's arrest under MISA, to which the former Chief Minister has frequently alluded.
As he spoke, he placed the palm of his right hand against his jaw, a gesture widely seen as a reference to Stalin's broken jaw - which the opposition unanimously slammed as "body-shaming".
That Stalin's arrest was made under MISA has been frequently questioned by the AIADMK and the BJP.
This time, state minister CTR Nirmal Kumar backed up Vijay. There is no record that Stalin was arrested under MISA, he said.
"During the MISA period, people could also be arrested in cases involving theft, robbery and offences against women... Stalin was arrested for making defamatory remarks against then prime minister Indira Gandhi. There is no record saying he was arrested under MISA," he added.
Opposition Slams "Body-Shaming"
Vijay's gesture, seen to be about Stalin's broken jaw, was sharply criticised by opposition leaders. The legislators of the DMK staged a sit-in outside Speaker JCD Prabhakar's chamber, demanding that Vijay's remarks be expunged, till they were forcibly evicted by Marshalls.
"It is a well-known historical fact that the Emergency period in India witnessed massive struggles to protect democracy, accompanied by repression and excesses. During that time, former Chief Minister Thiru MK Stalin was brutally assaulted by the police, resulting in a broken jaw," CPM's P Shanmugam said in a post on social media platform X.
"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," he added.
Vijay said his body language was inadvertant and not meant to hurt anyone's feelings.
In a post on X, Vijay said: "I wish to clarify that, during my response speech on the police department's grant request in the Legislative Assembly on 7.9.2026, my body language, which inadvertently came in between, was not in any way intentional. Therefore, I request that it not be interpreted as an act intended to hurt anyone's feelings on a personal level."
Speaker's Stance
Speaker JCD Prabhakar had rejected the DMK's demand to expunge Vijay's remarks on MISA, saying the Chief Minister had referred to matters that had already been discussed in the House.
"The DMK wasn't ready to listen for even a minute to CM Vijay's speech yesterday. CM Vijay mentioned things that were already mentioned in the House regarding the MISA Act. So there is no need to expunge the CM's speech on the MISA Act," the Speaker said.
What Stalin Said
Stalin had earlier said that his arrest under MISA is known to everyone. Asking whether I was arrested under MISA is as foolish as asking whether I belong to the DMK," he said after rumours about his arrest started doing the rounds in 2019.
Today, he questioned whether the state Legislative Assembly was being conducted with dignity. Speaking to reporters, he said, "You are asking the question yourself whether it is being conducted with dignity. It is being run in such a manner that it warrants that very question."
