Vijay explains Assembly gesture, says he is not intended to hurt anyone
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam leader C Joseph Vijay has clarified his recent body language during his speech in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.
In a post on X, Vijay said the gesture he made while touching his jaw during his response to the Police and Fire and Rescue Services department’s demand for grants on September 7 was accidental and had no deliberate intention behind it.
He also appealed to people not to view the gesture as something meant to offend or hurt anyone personally.
The gesture had attracted attention on social media, with some users interpreting it as a possible reference to former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin. Stalin had reportedly sustained a jaw fracture while he was imprisoned during the Emergency in 1975.
The controversy comes amid a heated exchange between the ruling DMK and Vijay’s party in the Assembly. On Monday, Vijay displayed Enforcement Directorate documents concerning TASMAC during the DMK government’s tenure and alleged financial irregularities involving former minister V Senthil Balaji and his brother Ashok Kumar.
Vijay also referred to findings associated with the Sarkaria Commission while making allegations of organised corruption during the earlier DMK regime.
DMK MLAs protested Vijay’s remarks and demanded that they be removed from the Assembly records. After the Speaker rejected the request, the protest continued inside the House. Law Minister C T R Nirmal Kumar defended Vijay’s statements, while Leader of the House Sengottaiyan sought action against the protesting MLAs. The Speaker later instructed Assembly marshals to escort the protesting legislators out.