BJP chief’s ‘ask your mother’ jibe at CM Vijay draws backlash

Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagenthran sparked a political row on Saturday with a personal remark targeting Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay. Speaking at a party event, Nagenthran said: "When people search for a father in the house and cannot find him, they should ask the mother at home to know who the father is." The comment was an apparent response to Vijay's 'kutti kathai' (short story) in the Assembly, which had mocked DMK president M K Stalin. The Hindu reports that TVK leaders condemned the remark as personal and unbecoming of a senior politician.

Health Minister K G Arunraj said the government would answer through performance, not words. School Education Minister P Rajmohan called the remark uncivilised and said the TVK would continue with "decent politics" under Vijay's leadership. The New Indian Express reports that former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai also condemned Nagenthran, calling the remark a "third-rate" form of politics. Actor-politician Khushbu Sundar called it "disgusting" and said women should not be used as pawns.

Hours later, Nagenthran attempted to backtrack on social media, saying his remarks were not targeted at anyone and that he holds "immense concern for the mother, for the motherland, and for the mother tongue." Former DMK strongman M K Stalin had lost the Kolathur seat in the April 2026 Assembly election, which Vijay had referenced in his earlier Assembly speech.