In June, Tamil Nadu CM Vijay enacted MK Stalin's viral hand-slashing gesture to mock the DMK chief. The DMK has now fired back at Vijay with a poster, comparing his gesture to the RSS's ceremonial salute.
The poster shared by DMK and CM Joseph Vijay
New Delhi,Oct 14, 2026 18:05 IST
In his assembly debut as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister in June, Vijay added a filmy touch to his speech when he enacted MK Stalin's viral hand-slashing gesture to mock the DMK chief. Now, the DMK has fired back at Vijay, comparing his gesture with the RSS's official ceremonial salute. Sharing a sketch of the two gestures on social media, the DMK called the TVK chief the adopted child of the RSS.
"He has correctly stated that he is Vijay, the child adopted by the RSS!" the DMK's IT wing tweeted. The sketch features silhouettes of two figures. One resembles an RSS member performing the Dhwaj Pranam, which involves placing the right hand on the centre of the chest. The other resembles Vijay making the slashing gesture.
Vijay's opponents have often accused the TVK of being the BJP's 'B-team'.
HOW DID THE VIJAY-STALIN GESTURE WAR START?
The gesture first drew attention in March, weeks before the Tamil Nadu assembly elections. Then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin made the slicing gesture with his hand to reporters when he was asked about seat-sharing talks with the Congress.
The video of Stalin quickly went viral, as there was considerable uncertainty about whether the two parties would contest the elections together. You can see it at the 0.02 mark in the video below.
Stalin's gesture was interpreted as a signal that seat-sharing negotiations were done and dusted. However, Stalin later clarified that it was a spontaneous gesture and not intended to convey anything.
Months later, Vijay would go on to mimic Stalin's hand gesture to attack the DMK. Interestingly, Vijay himself formed the government with help from DMK allies after the elections threw a hung assembly. TVK had emerged as the single largest party.
Replying to the Motion of Thanks on the Governor's address, Vijay launched a no-holds-barred attack on the DMK over corruption. He alleged that the Stalin-led government looted money in the name of party funds, while asserting that the TVK would follow a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption.
He then mimicked Stalin's hand gesture as a parting shot. Experts interpreted it as Vijay indicating that it was all finished for the DMK. The TVK chief, however, took permission from the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker before imitating Stalin.
The gesture sparked chaos and sloganeering by the DMK MLAs, who later staged a walkout.
While the TVK defended Vijay's gesture as a light-hearted moment, the political sparring has only escalated since then.
Several videos have emerged of TVK and Vijay's supporters imitating the viral gesture. Recently, Tamil Nadu minister Arun Raj shared a video that showed medical students at a government college recreating the signature hand movement.
The DMK seems to have escalated the 'gesture war', linking Vijay's hand movement to the RSS's flag-salutation posture.
The gesture seems to have taken on a life of its own, becoming another political flashpoint between the TVK and the DMK.
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