In Tamil Nadu politics, even a hand gesture can acquire a life of its own. MK Stalin made it first. Vijay borrowed it, and turned it into a viral moment inside the Assembly. Now, the DMK has found a new way to turn the gesture against the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief minister – by drawing a parallel with the RSS’s flag-salutation posture.
In March this year, Stalin, then chief minister, was walking out of the DMK headquarters in Chennai and getting into his car when reporters asked whether the seat-sharing talks were over. Stalin raised his hand and made a slicing gesture, signalling that the matter was settled and the seat-sharing arrangement finalised.
Meanwhile, the TVK and its supporters have embraced Vijay’s dramatic gesture, which has increasingly become a fixture at party events. Its appeal has also travelled beyond the party’s political gatherings. Recently, Tamil Nadu Minister Arun Raj posted a video featuring medical aspirants at a government medical college, with students seen imitating Vijay’s hand movement.
Vijay was now the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. During a debate in the Assembly, he criticised the DMK and sought permission from Speaker JCD Prabhakar to demonstrate a gesture in the absence of DMK members, who had walked out of the House.Vijay then reproduced Stalin’s now-viral hand gesture. The moment quickly caught on, drawing cheers from the treasury benches and triggering a flurry of discussion on social media. The TVK defended it as a lighthearted moment.
