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

A gesture. An uproar. A clarification. What began as a fleeting gesture in the Assembly has opened an old political wound - one rooted in the dark years of the Emergency and now playing out in the increasingly bitter Vijay-DMK rivalry.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay came under heavy fire from the DMK after a gesture in the State Assembly was interpreted as a swipe at former chief minister MK Stalin's broken jaw.

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.

Read | Vijay Faces DMK Heat Over 'Jaw Gesture', Ally Also Decries It As Reference To MK Stalin's 1976 Arrest

What Happened In 1976?

The story goes back five decades.

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

Young MK Stalin. Photo Credit: DMK

He was detained under MISA and lodged in Madras Central Prison, where he remained for several months until the Emergency ended. He was released in March 1977 when the Emergency expired.

What Was MISA?

The Maintenance of Internal Security Act, or MISA, was a stringent law enacted in 1971. It gave the authorities sweeping powers to detain people without trial and was widely used against political opponents of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during the Emergency.

The law was repealed by the Janata Party government in 1978.

An Interesting Aside

Several prominent political leaders, including RJD patriarch Lalu Yadav, were jailed under MISA during the Emergency.
Yadav named his eldest daughter, Misa Bharti, after the law. She was born in 1976 while her father was imprisoned under MISA during the Emergency.

Lalu Yadav with daughter Misa Bharti

Back To Vijay vs Stalin

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.

Testimony before the Justice MM Ismail Commission noted that he and other inmates faced severe physical abuse, which reportedly left him with a fractured jaw.

For the DMK, the injury is more than a physical scar. Party leaders describe it as a "brave scar" - a symbol of Stalin's resistance to repression at a time when democracy was under severe strain.

Vijay's Ally Pulls No Punches

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.

"Body shaming is condemnable no matter who does it. The chief minister himself having done it is an irresponsible act," Shanmugam said in a statement posted on social media.

Shanmugam also criticised the use of the Assembly for personal attacks, saying that turning the legislature into a venue for such exchanges - rather than focusing on public welfare - was unethical. He also objected to using the Assembly as a platform solely to praise one's own leader.