'Spoken in most indecent manner': Vijay slams MK Stalin over 'obscene' remarks against TVK candidate Sathyabhama

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Joseph Vijay on Saturday (October 3), criticised DMK president and former chief minister MK Stalin over his remarks against the party's Dharapuram bypoll candidate Sathyabhama, describing them as "indecent" and "perverse". The controversy erupted after Stalin, while campaigning in the Dharapuram Assembly constituency, referred to Sathyabhama as "Somersault Bhama". The TVK accused the DMK chief of body-shaming the woman candidate and demanded an apology. In a post on X, Vijay described Stalin's campaign meeting as a "defamatory and utterly uncivilized gathering" and accused him of mocking Sathyabhama in an inappropriate manner. "Regarding our Dharapuram constituency candidate, Sister Mrs. Sathiyabama, he has resorted to caricature mockery and spoken in the most indecent manner, deriving perverse pleasure from it," Vijay wrote. The TVK chief also alleged that Stalin had acknowledged the DMK's history of making objectionable remarks and engaging in what he described as uncivilised political conduct. "He has proudly proclaimed and gleefully admitted that it is none other than he, Mr. Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin himself, who has cultivated and created the river of obscenity, the river of savagery, and the river of crookedness on behalf of the DMK. He has given a confessional statement to that effect," Vijay said. Accusing the DMK of being opposed to democracy, Vijay claimed that the people of Tamil Nadu had long recognised what he described as the party's objectionable political culture. "The DMK members are opposed to democracy. The people of Tamil Nadu have, for all time, deeply felt and recognized that obscenity, savagery, and crookedness are ingrained in the DMK's very roots and in its brain," he added. Vijay further said the party would face a response from voters over its remarks about women. "These evil forces, who are experts at speaking obscenely about women -- and that too, with women seated right beside them, without even noticing their disgust -- will receive a fitting retort from the people of Tamil Nadu and the people of the Dharapuram constituency," he said. "As the son, brother, and younger sibling of Tamil Nadu's women, I convey my strongest condemnation to this evil force, the DMK, which continues to speak obscenely about women," Vijay added. தாராபுரம் தொகுதி இடைத்தேர்தல் பரப்புரைப் பொதுக்கூட்டம் என்ற பெயரில், தீய சக்தியான தி.மு.க. சார்பில் ஓர் அவதூறு மற்றும் அநாகரிகக் கூட்டத்தை நடத்தியுள்ளார், அதன் தலைவர் திரு. மு.க.ஸ்டாலின் அவர்கள். நமது தாராபுரம் தொகுதி வேட்பாளரான சகோதரி திருமதி சத்தியபாமா அவர்கள் குறித்து, உருவ... -- TVK Vijay (@TVKVijayHQ) October 3, 2026 What did MK Stalin say about Sathyabhama? Stalin made the remarks while attacking the ruling TVK over allegations of horse-trading and engineering a split in the AIADMK. Sathyabhama had won the Dharapuram constituency in the recent Assembly election as an AIADMK candidate. She resigned from the seat weeks later, joined the TVK and is now contesting the bypoll as the ruling party's nominee. Referring to allegations that money was involved in her political switch, Stalin said: "You people now call their candidate who acted against truth as Suitcase-Bhama. There is also another name - Somersault Bhama. I don't know how she did the somersault with that figure." The reference to her physical appearance triggered criticism from the TVK. Party leader and Health Minister Arun Raj accused Stalin of body-shaming Sathyabhama and insulting women and the Dalit community. The TVK has denied allegations of horse-trading, maintaining that elected legislators are entitled to resign and join another political party without attracting disqualification under the anti-defection law.