Dhinakaran Calls Vijay 'Villain in Real Life' as Broken Jaw Row Escalates
TTV Dhinakaran called Chief Minister Vijay a 'villain in real life' over the Assembly gesture row, as MK Stalin detailed the 1976 prison assault that broke his jaw.
AMMK chief TTV Dhinakaran has joined the escalating row over Chief Minister Vijay's gesture in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, calling him a "villain in real life" rather than the hero he plays on screen.
The former MP said the chief minister's "body language and words" showed he is "clearly not a good man". His criticism was sharper than that of DMK leaders, as he described Vijay as "self-centred" and an "evil man" who would sacrifice anyone for his own benefit.
"Vijay is a hero only in films. In real life, he is a big villain," Dhinakaran said, adding that the chief minister's conduct had become evident through his demeanour and remarks.
The controversy stems from a gesture by the TVK chief in the Assembly that the DMK interpreted as mocking the jaw injury MK Stalin sustained during his imprisonment in 1976, when the Karunanidhi-led government was dismissed during the Emergency. Vijay denied any intent to mock, describing the gesture as "an accidental expression" and stating it was not intentional.
That clarification did not settle the matter. On Thursday, the former chief minister led the response, recounting in a video statement the treatment he faced in custody. He said prisoners were kept with leprosy patients, ten of them were locked in a small room with a pot used as a urinal, and police prevented them from sleeping at night, beating them with lathis and boots and deploying life convicts to assault them. An MP held with him, Chitti Babu, died in jail, and Stalin's jawbone was broken in the assault.
Stalin rejected the explanation that no gesture was made, asking whether Vijay had not pointed at his jaw, and said he still bears the scars. He said such crackdowns were familiar to many in public life who had struggled for Tamil Nadu, and urged Vijay to read the state's history and that of the DMK, invoking Annadurai, whom he noted Vijay calls an inspiration.
Allies of the chief minister have also weighed in, with VCK chief Thirumavalavan and CPM state chief Shanmugam describing the gesture as body-shaming and irresponsible.