TVK Slams Stalin's Video Speech, Demands Proof of MISA Detention
The party's IT Wing also asked if the "prison martyr" image has been "shattered"
Chennai: The ruling TVK in Tamil Nadu on Thursday rebutted DMK chief M K Stalin's video address detailing his MISA detention, calling it an "engineered attempt" to deflect from core governance issues, while claiming there was no evidence furnished by the former chief minister to back his claims. The party's IT Wing also asked if the "prison martyr" image has been "shattered."
Amidst the escalating political tension over Stalin's imprisonment under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) during the Emergency (1975-77), the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) demanded proof of his detention, labeling his video address as an attempt to protect a "declining political image" without official documentation.
The controversy stems from a recent friction point in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, where Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay made a hand-to-jaw gesture during his speech while referencing MISA, drawing strong criticism from allies and rivals alike. He later clarified that the action was unintentional.
However, the DMK members took strong exception to the gesture accusing him of mocking a jaw fracture Stalin suffered during alleged police torture under the 1976 MISA imprisonment.
In response, Stalin released a nearly 10-minute video message on Thursday detailing his prison struggle, and criticised the TVK government's welfare delivery, and urging decorum in the House.
Responding on the official social media channel, the TVK IT wing attacked both the technical integrity and historical claims made in Stalin's video address, highlighting a lack of primary documentary evidence.
"While the video spans a significant length, it conspicuously fails to provide or display any official 'detention copy' to verify the historical claims of wartime or Emergency-era political imprisonment being discussed," the TVK IT wing said on its official "X" handle.
The party further criticised the video's production values, alleging that visible edit "jump-cuts" revealed a heavily produced script designed to manufacture public sympathy rather than stating the facts.
"The multiple cuts in the footage, insensitive speech, again seem like a failed attempt to make people believe something that is not true. The video of the false fighter released today has proven that the false image built up with fabricated stories and myths cannot withstand the truth," the statement said questioning why no official MISA detention orders or prison movement receipts were visually presented during the speech.
It alleged that the timing of the video release aimed to divert public attention away from current policy debates and opposition questions.
"Even after talking at length, he did not breathe a word about the detention copy. Truth does not need advertisements or explanations. But if the shooting video is released here, then the false image has been shattered," the TVK IT wing claimed and asked "has the tension been building up over the years since the false image of a 'prison martyr' was shattered."
