TIRUVARUR: DMK president MK Stalin on Thursday responded to Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's recent "where is your father?" jibe in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, saying he remains "in the hearts of the people".
Speaking at a family wedding function of former minister U Mathivanan near Tiruvarur, the former chief minister hit back at remarks made by Vijay during a speech in the Assembly earlier this week.
"I may not be in the place where you are searching. I remain in the hearts of the people. That's enough", he said.
Stalin went on to say that if the chief minister wanted to find him, he could look through government files in the Secretariat. "I have signed the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai (KMUT) scheme of Rs 1,000 per month for women. I will be there", he said.
Stalin added that he would also be found in files relating to welfare schemes such as the Pudhumai Penn and Tamil Pudhalvan programmes. "Hence you need not search for me. I am in the secretariat", he added.
Referring to his six decades in public life, Stalin said: "I am among the public for the last 60 years. Whether in power or not, the DMK cadre work for the people of the country".
The DMK leader also defended his government's record, saying that during his five-year tenure the Mettur dam had been opened for delta irrigation on the scheduled date of 12 June, and in some years even earlier.
Stalin said Tamil Nadu was currently facing several issues, including power cuts, and alleged that water had not been released from the Mettur dam on time. "... and when the leader of opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin spoke on these issues in the assembly and expected a reply from the chief minister, the latter asks 'where is your father?' without answering the questions", he said.
Meanwhile, Stalin also commented on the DMK's future electoral strategy after the party's deputy general secretary A Raja suggested earlier that alliances might not be necessary in future elections.
Responding to the remarks, the DMK chief invoked the legacy of former chief minister M Karunanidhi. "Kalaignar never abandoned any alliance parties and they used to leave on their own. I am following his path. Now people are saying there is no need at all alliance," Stalin said.
"We will soon consider this also", he added.
What prompted the exchange?
The remarks came days after Vijay used a satirical anecdote in the Assembly that was widely seen as targeting Stalin.
During his speech on Tuesday, the chief minister recounted a story about an elderly man searching for a child's father.
"A young boy approaches him and asks, 'What are you looking for?' The man replies, 'They told me your father would be right here. That's why I am searching. Where's your father? I can't find him'," he said.
The remarks were widely interpreted as a veiled swipe at the DMK chief, who is currently not a member of the Assembly after losing the Kolathur seat in the 2026 Tamil Nadu elections.
Vijay also ended his speech with a downward hand-slashing gesture aimed at mocking Stalin, prompting loud desk-thumping from treasury bench members and amusement from the Speaker.
The gesture appeared to reference an episode in March when Stalin made a similar downward hand movement after the DMK and Congress finalised their seat-sharing agreement ahead of the Assembly elections. The move sparked speculation at the time, prompting Stalin to later clarify that it was simply intended to indicate that talks had concluded successfully.