Why has BJP Tamil Nadu chief Nainar Nagenthran's 'father' remark on Vijay sparked a political row?

Chennai: BJP Tamil Nadu president Nainar Nagenthran has triggered a political row with remarks targeting Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, drawing strong condemnation from state Minister A Rajmohan and former BJP state president K Annamalai.

Speaking at the BJP state headquarters Kamalalayam on Saturday, Nagenthran appeared to respond to Vijay's recent "kutti kathai" (short story) aimed at DMK president M K Stalin.

"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," Nagenthran said, in a remark that was widely criticised as derogatory and disrespectful.

Vijay had narrated the "kutti kathai" in the Assembly following the DMK's defeat in the April 2026 Assembly election. His remarks referred to the whereabouts of an opposition leader's "father", in an apparent reference to Stalin's electoral defeat in the Kolathur Assembly constituency. The comments had drawn criticism from several political parties, including the DMK.

Reacting to Nagenthran's remarks, Rajmohan strongly condemned them, describing them as "uncivilised and inappropriate" for a political leader.

He said Vijay had advised his colleagues to uphold civilised politics even in the face of provocation and personal attacks.

Annamalai also criticised Nagenthran, saying the BJP state chief had crossed the limits of political decorum and civility.

Political disagreements and questions about the government's actions were part of democratic discourse, Annamalai said, but personal attacks targeting a leader's family, particularly their mother, were unacceptable.

Such remarks amounted to a regressive and "third-rate" form of politics and should not be encouraged among the younger generation, he said.