Vijay vs Udhayanidhi: War of words turns intensely personal

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay on June 23 delivered his first detailed reply to the Governor's address in the state assembly, using the occasion to go on the offensive against the opposition DMK — attacking the party over corruption, drug abuse, law and order, and what he described as "blame-game politics." He also targeted the opposition during the motion of thanks to the Governor's address, following which DMK MLAs walked out, creating a ruckus in the assembly.

The kutty story dig

Concluding his speech, Vijay reached for his signature device — the "kutty story," a short parable he has long deployed at public events. He described an elderly man searching for something under the scorching sun, who, when asked by a boy what he was looking for, replied, "I am looking for your father."

The anecdote, delivered with deliberate theatricality, was an indirect dig at Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin and his father, DMK president M.K. Stalin, the latter having lost his home constituency of Kolathur in the 2026 elections, keeping him out of the assembly. Vijay added pointedly that he too could narrate such "irrelevant stories" if he chose to, mirroring the opposition's style.

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After seeking permission from the Speaker, the Chief Minister concluded his speech with his well-known signature gesture — a move that immediately caught the attention of legislators and supporters, and quickly began circulating on social media.

It was the hand gesture of MK Stalin, before the election, when he signalled to the media that the talk with the Tamil Nadu Congress on seat sharing was over. Ever since TVK won, the hand gesture has been used by the supporters of the party to mock DMK, and now, even Vijay has resorted to it.

Udhay fires back on X

Udhayanidhi Stalin wasted little time hitting back. In a sharp post on X, he accused the Chief Minister of turning the assembly into a film set. "In the name of a reply to the Governor's address in the assembly, the Chief Minister has put on an acting performance, hurling scripted slanders. While he spoke treating the assembly's live camera as a cinema camera, it is unacceptable that the Speaker went out of the way to ensure it was shot in a single take without any interruptions from the opposition," he wrote.

No answers on real issues

Udhayanidhi further accused Vijay of avoiding substantive governance questions altogether. "The Chief Minister's reply contained nothing but baseless allegations and punch dialogues — there was no answer whatsoever on power cuts, farmers' issues, the deteriorating law and order situation, or plans to fulfil election promises," he said.

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Wife at Chengalpattu court

In what was widely read as the most personal blow of the exchange, Udhayanidhi then turned Vijay's own storytelling device against him. "The story of a wife searching for her husband in the Chengalpattu court is something all of Tamil Nadu already knows," he wrote.

It was a reference widely interpreted as alluding to reported legal proceedings involving Vijay and his estranged wife Sangeetha, who has filed for divorce at a family court in Chengalpattu. The remark has attracted significant attention because it is one of the first times Udhayanidhi has publicly brought Vijay's personal life into a political debate.

'Forget actor, be CM'

Udhayanidhi closed his post with a pointed demand: "The Chief Minister must forget that he is @actorvijay and henceforth conduct himself as @CMOTamilnadu." The exchange marked one of the sharpest personal clashes yet between the two leaders, and underlined what analysts see as the deepening confrontation between the ruling TVK and the DMK heading into a combative legislative phase.