Tamil Nadu Opposition leader Udhayanidhi Stalin launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, making an indirect reference to the latter’s ongoing divorce proceedings while criticising remarks made by the Chief Minister against protesting farmers.
“It is condemnable that he (Vijay) insulted the farmers by saying that the farmers are protesting at the instigation of the opposition parties. His statement that he is telling a short story is completely against their dignity. Only Tamil Nadu knows the story of the wife looking for a husband in the Chengalpattu court. Therefore, @actorvijay Forget about it, at least for now,” Stalin said in a post on X turning the political confrontation into personal attacks on 23 June.
The remarks appeared to refer to the divorce case involving Vijay and his wife, Sangeetha Sornalingam. She had approached the Chengalpattu Family Court in December 2025 seeking legal separation after 27 years of marriage. The matter is currently before the court, with the next hearing scheduled for August 7.
Party fund collections
Stalin’s comments came hours after Vijay, speaking in the Assembly, targeted the DMK and alleged that public funds collected in the name of “party fund collections” would be recovered by his government. Stalin’s X post was after actor-turned-politician Vijay shared a story in the Assembly on a “missing man”, seen as a tacit reference to MK Stalin.
CM Vijay launched a sharp attack on the opposition DMK, labelling as “party funds” the alleged corruption during its previous regime, provoking the DMK members to stage a noisy protest inside the Assembly and later a walkout. Unfazed by the walkout, Vijay defended the stability and mandate of his government and rejected the opposition narratives that his administration runs solely on the mercy or support of external political forces.
Earlier, Stalin raised a point of order, arguing that such allegations should be supported by evidence and that the Chief Minister should not make them without proof.
Stalin strongly protested when the Chief Minister remarked that the previous DMK regime “siphoned” funds from various government departments into “party funds”.
Stalin also stood up and urged Speaker JCD Prabhakar to prevail upon the chief minister to submit proof rather than level baseless allegations against the DMK.
The Speaker, however, ruled out any interventions during Vijay’s speech and said the chief minister should be allowed to complete his reply to the Governor’s address to the Assembly. But the DMK members stood protesting.
Vijay continued his speck and said that unlike the previous DMK government, the TVK will never indulge in corrupt practices, nor will it allow anyone to “loot” the government coffers.
Dismissing the DMK’s charges that the ruling TVK sustained due to its mercy, Vijay said the left parties independently took a decision to support the TVK, while the Congress, VCK and IUML, who extended support, were accommodated in the new Cabinet.
“We are not dependent on the DMK’s mercy. We are running the government due to the mercy of the people who elected us,” Vijay said, and the DMK members led by Udhayanidhi walked out of the House even before the chief minister could complete his speech.
If the chief minister possesses actual evidence of malpractice, he should table it formally in the House instead of making baseless allegations.
Later, speaking to reporters outside the Assembly, Udhayanidhi Stalin condemned the proceedings and questioned the alleged procedural violations inside the House.”If the chief minister possesses actual evidence of malpractice, he should table it formally in the House instead of making baseless allegations,” the Leader of Opposition in Tamil Nadu Assembly said.
