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.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Monday (September 7, 2026) singled out the DMK, the main Opposition in the Assembly, and invoked the nearly 50-year old Sarkaria Commission inquiry into the DMK government headed by M. Karunanidhi, the Veeranam “scandal” and the report by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on the alleged collection of “party funds.”

“Fifty years have passed since the Sarkaria Commission is known to us. It is a golden jubilee achievement of a party that has celebrated its diamond jubilee,” he said while replying to the demands for grants for the Police and Fire and Rescue Services departments.

Mr. Vijay said the Sarkaria Commission report was raised in the Assembly in 2001 by the then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and her Cabinet colleague C. Ponnaiyan. He alleged late Murasoli Maran, the nephew of Karunanidhi, had demanded a 2.5% commission on ₹16 crore from the company ‘Sathyanarayana Brothers’ for taking part in the tender proceedings for the Veeranam water scheme.

Quoting the report, Mr. Vijay said the DMK had received ₹29 lakh in seven instalments between 1970 and 1974. “Besides, they received money to construct a building for Murasoli,” he said, recalling the report’s allegation that Karunanidhi had “abused his official position as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.”

Mr. Vijay said, according to the report, Karunanidhi had pressured the Chief Engineer of the PWD, Hussain, to reduce the tender amount. “The following charges have been established by cogent, convincing and reliable evidence — oral, documentary and circumstantial,” he said, quoting the report.

The Chief Minister said he had respect and admiration for Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) and had previously apologised for referring to him by name (in the House). “These are not my allegations. They are part of the report and the allegations of the ED,” he said.

Mr. Vijay said he had no need to raise these issues, but was doing so in response to those who spoke about “legacy and seniority in politics.” “They may run away if we talk about these issues,” he added.

Mr. Vijay said the ED had accused the DMK of collecting between 7.5% and 10% as party funds.

“The bribe collected in the form of party fund from the departments — Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department. Government works in the form of party fund. The bribe in the form of party fund is collected for the benefit of the party in Tamil Nadu government,” he charged, quoting the ED report.