CM Vijay has no locus standi to speak about obscenity against women, says Udhayanidhi - The Hindu

**Tamil Nadu Assembly Erupts Over CM Vijay’s Remarks on “Obscenity” and Historical Commissions**

*Chennai* – The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly descended into chaos on Monday after Chief Minister **Vijay** (not to be confused with the actor of the same name) delivered a series of remarks linking recent incidents of “obscenity against women” to the legacy of the Sarkaria Commission and the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA). The comments, delivered during a routine question‑hour exchange, were immediately challenged by members of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), who accused the chief minister of overstepping his jurisdiction and politicising a sensitive social issue. Udhayanidhi Stalin, the son of DMK supremo M. K. Stalin and a prominent party spokesperson, retorted that the chief minister “has no locus standi to speak about obscenity against women,” emphasizing that such matters fall under the purview of the Women’s Development Ministry and the judiciary, not the chief minister’s political platform.

The confrontation intensified when a group of DMK legislators staged a sit‑in protest within the assembly hall, demanding the expunction of the chief minister’s statements from the official record. The opposition argued that the remarks were not only factually inaccurate but also served to defame the party’s long‑standing stance on women’s safety and civil liberties. Speaker M. R. Madhavan, after a brief consultation with the assembly’s security staff, ordered the removal of the protesting MLAs. Marshals escorted ten DMK members out of the chamber, an action that was widely reported by *The Times of India* and *Deccan Herald* as “eviction after ruckus.” The expulsions triggered further uproar among the galleries, with opposition supporters chanting slogans against the chief minister and demanding a formal apology.

The incident has revived debate over the relevance of the Sarkaria Commission—a body set up in the 1980s to examine centre‑state relations—and the controversial MISA, which was repealed in 1978 but remains a point of reference in political rhetoric. Critics argue that invoking these historic mechanisms in contemporary discourse distracts from pressing issues such as gender‑based violence and the enforcement of existing obscenity laws. The chief minister’s office, however, defended the remarks as an effort to highlight “the systemic failures that allow misogynistic content to proliferate,” and indicated that a written clarification would be submitted to the assembly within the week.