BJP chief mocks TN CM Vijay's parentage, draws backlash
BJP state chief Nainar Nagenthran triggered a political row on Saturday with remarks targeting Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, drawing strong condemnation from Minister A Rajmohan.
The remarks, which Nagenthran presented as a response to Vijay's “kutti kathai” (short story) criticising DMK president M K Stalin, drew condemnation from political parties.
Speaking at a party event at Kamalalayam, the BJP state headquarters here, Nagenthran mockingly remarked, “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 remarks sparked widespread backlash, with several leaders condemning them as derogatory and disrespectful.
Vijay had narrated a “kutti kathai” in the Assembly following the DMK's defeat in the April 2026 Assembly election, referring humorously to the whereabouts of the opposition leader's “father” in an apparent allusion to Stalin's electoral defeat in the Kolathur Assembly constituency.
Several political parties, including the DMK, had criticised Vijay's remarks.
Speaking to reporters here, Rajmohan strongly condemned the BJP state chief's remarks, calling them “uncivilised and inappropriate” for a political leader.
He said Vijay had taught his colleagues to engage in civilised politics regardless of provocations or personal attacks.
Former BJP president K Annamalai also condemned Nagenthran's remarks, saying he had crossed the boundaries of political decorum and civility.
Annamalai said political disagreements and questioning the government's actions were part of democratic discourse, but personal attacks against a leader's family, particularly their mother, were unacceptable and represented a regressive, “third-rate” form of politics that should not be encouraged among the younger generation.
