Tamil Nadu. The simmering political dispute surrounding Chief Minister Vijay has now spilled over into legal action. Law‑enforcement agencies have lodged separate FIRs against senior DMK leaders A. Raja, P. K. Sekar Babu and DMK MLA Vasantham Karthikeyan, accusing them of making objectionable and defamatory statements during recent party protests. The police confirmed the filings on Tuesday.
According to officials, the complaints were lodged at multiple police stations after allegations that the leaders uttered offensive remarks during demonstrations held on 12 September.
P. K. Sekar Babu, the DMK’s Chennai East district secretary and Harbour constituency MLA, was booked at the B1 North Beach police station for allegedly disparaging Chief Minister Vijay during a rally.
In Saidapet, a case was opened against DMK heavyweight A. Raja following a grievance filed by TVK functionary Karthik. Raja is accused of directing insulting comments at Energy Resources and Law Minister R. N. Nirmal Kumar during the same protest. Earlier, Raja had challenged TVK, insisting that any opposition to his statements should be pursued through a formal case.
Raja also claimed that leaders from the Congress and BJP had recognised the contributions of DMK chief M. K. Stalin and his alleged arrest under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) during the Emergency.
Meanwhile, Kallakurichi police registered a case against Vasantham Karthikeyan, the DMK MLA from Rishivandiyam, for allegedly making objectionable remarks against Chief Minister Vijay.
The MISA Controversy Sparks the Uproar
The controversy ignited after Chief Minister Vijay referenced the MISA episode in the Legislative Assembly. In response, the DMK organized protests statewide, denouncing his remarks. While accusing M. K. Stalin of corruption, Vijay also alluded to an alleged MISA‑based detention of Stalin during the 1975‑77 Emergency, prompting immediate backlash from DMK legislators.
Energy and Law Minister R. N. Nirmal Kumar later backed Vijay’s statements in the Assembly, questioning the veracity of the claim that Stalin had been detained under MISA.
Kumar pointed out that no official detention order has ever been produced to substantiate the allegation, asking where such a document would be if Stalin had truly been arrested under the law. He accused the DMK of exploiting the issue to cast Stalin as a political martyr for electoral advantage.
