‘I still bear scars’: Stalin recalls Emergency-era torture as Vijay’s jaw gesture sparks storm

A blink-and-you-miss gesture by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay during his Assembly speech on Monday (September 7) has snowballed into a full-blown political fight, with even ally CPI(M) accusing the TVK founder of body-shaming. The person at whom it was ostensibly targeted—DMK chief MK Stalin—spoke up on Thursday (September 10) through a video speech posted on social media.

Vijay, while addressing the Assembly on allegations of law and order against the TVK government, made a heated, impassioned speech, targeting the previous DMK government on corruption issues instead, invoking the MISA (Maintenance of Internal Security Act) charges against Stalin. During the speech, he made a fleeting gesture holding his jaw with one hand, which many interpreted as a mocking of Stalin, whose jaw was broken by the police in a brutal beating in jail during Emergency.

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'Fighting oppression embedded in DMK's legacy'

In the video, Stalin recalled the severe physical abuse he endured in prison during that time. Flaying Vijay for raising decades-old corruption allegations citing the Sarkaria Commission report, Stalin dismissed them as “politically motivated lies” spread by those who held long-standing grudges against his father and former chief minister, M Karunanidhi.

“Fighting oppression and enduring consequences is embedded in the DMK’s legacy since the days of Arignar Anna,” he added invoking the name of DMK founder and former CM. “The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly has a legacy sculpted by great leaders. Debate law and order, welfare schemes, and state rights instead of driving unnecessary controversy,” he advised.

On the recent Enforcement Directorate investigations cited by Vijay, Stalin criticised the agency’s political utilisation, pointing out that 95 per cent of ED cases nationwide fail to stand up in court. He criticised the state government’s decision to cancel Parandur Airport project as a 15-year setback to Tamil Nadu’s industrial development.

What happened in 1976?

Clarifying his history during the MISA period, Stalin acknowledged that Vijay was correct regarding the facts, recounting the suppression during the Emergency (1975-77), including his own arrest on January 31, 1976, after Karunanidhi protested against the MISA law and the DMK government led by him was dismissed during the Emergency.

“I realise that some controversies that occurred in the recently concluded Legislative Assembly session have caused anger and dissatisfaction among the Tamil people and our brethren. Since my prison history is a key part of this controversy, I wish to clarify it. Brother Vijay, what you said is true; it is not a lie. During the Emergency, our leader Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) held a massive meeting at Marina Beach to oppose it and harshly criticised the MISA,” Stalin said in the video.

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Following this, the then-Union Government dismissed the DMK government on January 31, 1976. The very next second, the police came to his Gopalapuram residence to arrest him under the MISA act.

Brutal torture in jail

Recalling his arrest, he said, “I was not home that day, as I had gone for a campaign. Our leader (Karunanidhi) told the police, ‘My son has gone for a campaign. He will return tomorrow. Once he comes, I will call you myself; come and arrest him.’ The next day, when I returned, he himself asked the police to come and arrest me,” Stalin said.

Stalin detailed the harsh conditions he faced in prison, including abuse, which led to the death of his colleague Chitti Babu and injuries to himself. He recalled that 10 of them were kept in a small foul-smelling room with one pot to urinate it. They were not allowed to sleep, with police beating them with lathis and kicking them with boots. Other hard-core convicts would be let upon them.

Stalin was then in his early 20s and a young wing leader of the DMK. He remained lodged in Madras Central Prison for several months and was released only in March 1977 when the Emergency ended. “My jawbones were indeed broken and I still bear the scars of that police attack,” Stalin said in the video.

Condemnation from ally

While Vijay has denied mocking Stalin through the gesture, his action has drawn all-round flak, with TVK ally CPI(M) condemning the act.

Also read: Sarkaria to ‘Karur gang’: Vijay takes on DMK over corruption, Oppn calls it ‘cinema’

CPM state secretary P Shanmugam called body shaming “condemnable” no matter who does it. In a social media post, he said it was “irresponsible” of the chief minister to do it and criticised the use of the Assembly for personal attacks.

On September 8, Vijay clarified that during his response speech, his “body language, which inadvertently came across in between, was not in any way intentional”. “I kindly request that it not be interpreted as an act intended to hurt anyone’s feelings on a personal level,” read his X post.

What was MISA?

MISA, enacted in 1971, was a stringent law that was widely used during the Emergency against the political opponents of then prime minister, Indira Gandhi. It gave the authorities sweeping powers to detain people without trial and put them in prison. The Janata Party government repealed the law in 1978.

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Stalin was not the only Opposition leader to be jailed under MISA. Many others, including former Bihar chief minister Lalu Yadav, were jailed under MISA during the Emergency. The witty RJD patriarch went on to name his eldest daughter after the law. Misa Bharti was born in 1976 when Lalu was in jail under MISA.