Chennai:
Chief Minister Joseph Vijay’s pointed “Where is your father?” remark in the Tamil Nadu Assembly has triggered fresh political churn, with senior leaders in the DMK openly hinting at a possible return of party chief and former Chief Minister MK Stalin to the House through an expected round of by-elections.
The comments assume significance as Stalin, who led the DMK in the 2026 Assembly elections, suffered a shock defeat in his Kolathur constituency to the TVK. Since then, the former Chief Minister has remained outside the Assembly, while his son Udhayanidhi Stalin serves as Leader of the Opposition.
Reacting to the comments, former Chief Ministwer MK Stalin said he lives in “people’s hearts”.
“I am in people’s hearts. I am not in assembly but I am there wherever people look for me,” MK Stalin said.
Speaking at a public meeting, senior DMK leader and MLA KN Nehru appeared to suggest that Stalin’s re-entry into the Assembly could be imminent.
“He asked our leader, where is your father? He would come. Very soon he would come in. That’s all we can say now. He would return and take responsibility again. That’s for sure. Till yesterday all our cadre were quiet. But after he spoke, cadre across Tamil Nadu want this,” Nehru said.
His remarks are being seen as the clearest indication yet that a section within the DMK wants Stalin to contest one of the Assembly by-elections expected in the coming months.
The controversy began after Vijay, during a speech in the Assembly, narrated a story involving the question, “Where is your father?” The remark was widely interpreted as a swipe at Udhayanidhi Stalin and the absence of his father from the House.
The Chief Minister’s comments have also drawn criticism from some of his own coalition partners. VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan said the remark did not augur well for the dignity of the office of the Chief Minister and suggested that Vijay should have avoided such a personal reference. He appealed to the Chief Minister to protect the decorum of the House.
The political sparring soon turned even more personal. Udhayanidhi Stalin responded on X with a post referring to a wife searching for her husband at the Chengalpattu court, a remark widely seen as an indirect reference to reports surrounding Vijay’s wife Sangeetha’s divorce plea. That response too attracted criticism from political observers, who accused leaders on both sides of dragging personal lives into political discourse.
The debate comes at a time when several Assembly seats have fallen vacant. Six constituencies currently require by-elections. The Tiruchy East seat fell vacant after Vijay resigned from it while retaining Perambur, one of the two constituencies he won. Five AIADMK MLAs have also resigned, with four of them subsequently joining the TVK.
The by-polls are expected to be closely watched as the first major electoral test after the Assembly elections. For the DMK, they could provide an opportunity to bring its tallest leader back into the legislature and sharpen its challenge to the Vijay government.
For now, however, there is no official word from MK Stalin on whether he is willing to contest. But Nehru’s remarks suggest that the demand for the former Chief Minister’s return is growing louder within the DMK ranks.
