‘My jaws were indeed broken in jail during Emergency’: Stalin responds to Tamil Nadu CM Vijay

DMK president M.K. Stalin on Thursday (September 10, 2026) said that the alleged body-shaming gesture made by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay in the Assembly was indeed reflective of what had happened to him, as he had been brutally attacked by the police in prison and had his jawbones broken during the Emergency.

In a video released on social media explaining what had befallen him in prison, Mr. Stalin said that he and others had been lodged in a leper ward.

While responding to the demands for grants for the Police and Fire and Rescue Services departments in the Assembly, Mr. Vijay recalled Mr. Stalin’s arrest during the Emergency and made a gesture referring to his broken jaw. Following condemnation from the CPI(M), he contended that his gesture was misunderstood.

“Thambi (brother) Vijay, the gesture you made was indeed true. My jawbones were broken in the police attack. I still bear the scars of the attack,” he said.

Mr. Stalin also recalled his conversation with Mr. Vijay when he made a courtesy visit to his house after becoming Chief Minister. “I greeted you by holding your hands. You expressed regret for your harsh remarks against me during the election campaign. I told you I was not keeping anything in mind. I also urged you to maintain dignity while commenting on others. But you seem to have forgotten it,” he said.

Mr. Stalin advised Mr. Vijay to adopt the body language and speech of a Chief Minister and remain a role model for others.

“You must realise your position and function accordingly. You run the administration as if it were a film shoot. You have converted the Assembly into a place for making reels and used the bridge constructed by us for a photo shoot,” he said.

Recalling the days of the Emergency, he said that when the police visited his residence, he was away on party work, and his father, Karunanidhi (former Chief Minister), told the police to come the next day.

“When I returned, he informed the police about my arrival, and I was arrested,” he said.

Mr. Stalin said he and nine others were kept in a small room with just one pot for all of them to urinate in. The entire area had a foul smell, and they had to sleep in the same place, he said.

“At night, the police would beat us with lathis and kick us with their boots to prevent us from sleeping. They would also use convicts to attack us. The brutal attacks resulted in the death of DMK MP Chittibabu in jail,” he explained.

Mr. Stalin said those who were in public life and fought for the cause of Tamils had been subjected to such brutal attacks.

“As fighters, we have moved past those incidents. Fighting and facing the consequences are nothing new to us. It is the history of the DMK since the days of Anna, whom you have accepted as your ideological leader. I take pride in being part of that history. Whoever denigrates me cannot alter that history. If you have doubts, you can refer to the documents in the library in the Assembly, which you mentioned in your speech,” he said.