Tamil Nadu. The simmering political dispute surrounding Chief Minister M.K. Vijay has taken a legal turn, with law‑enforcement agencies filing criminal complaints against three prominent members of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). The charges stem from statements made during street‑level agitations that officials deem objectionable and defamatory.
Police statements released on Tuesday confirmed that separate FIRs were lodged at multiple stations following complaints lodged after the September 12 demonstrations.
Cases Filed Against Individual Leaders
At the B1 North Beach police outpost, an FIR was registered against P.K. Sekar Babu, the DMK’s Chennai East district secretary and Harbour constituency MLA. He is accused of uttering disparaging remarks about Chief Minister Vijay during a party rally.
In Saidapet, the police acted on a grievance submitted by TVK office‑bearer Karthik, resulting in a case against senior DMK figure A. Raja. The complaint alleges that Raja made offensive comments about Energy and Law Minister R.N. Nirmal Kumar during the same protest. Raja had earlier challenged TVK, insisting that if his words were objectionable, the authorities should formally charge him.
Raja also claimed that leaders of the Congress and BJP had publicly recognized DMK chief M.K. Stalin’s alleged detention under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) during the Emergency, a statement that added fuel to the controversy.
Meanwhile, Kallakurichi police lodged a case against Vasantham Karthikeyan, the DMK MLA from Rishivandiyam, accusing him of making similarly objectionable remarks aimed at the chief minister.
Origins of the Dispute: MISA Remarks in the Assembly
The flashpoint began when Chief Minister Vijay referenced the former Emergency‑era law, MISA, during a legislative debate. He alleged that DMK president M.K. Stalin had been arrested under the act, prompting the party to organize statewide protests. Vijay also leveled corruption accusations against Stalin, intensifying the rhetoric.
Energy and Law Minister R.N. Nirmal Kumar later backed Vijay’s narrative, questioning the existence of any official detention order that would substantiate Stalin’s alleged MISA arrest. He suggested that the DMK was exploiting the issue to craft a martyrdom image for its leader.
“If Stalin was truly detained under MISA, there should be a documented order. Its absence raises doubts about the claim,” Nirmal Kumar asserted.
These developments have heightened tensions across the state, with the DMK accusing the government of political persecution while the administration maintains that the legal actions are warranted to curb defamatory speech.
