TN Minister challenges Stalin to produce MISA detention order over Emergency arrest

MADURAI: Tamil Nadu Minister R Nirmal Kumar on Saturday challenged DMK chief M K Stalin to produce his official detention order copy, disputing the long-standing claim that the former Chief Minister was imprisoned under MISA during the Emergency.

Claiming lack of official records to prove the DMK's historic assertion on "Emergency-era martyr status" for Stalin, state Energy Resources and Law Minister Nirmal Kumar refuted the argument directly disputing the long-standing narrative that the DMK president was arrested under the stringent Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) during the 1975–77 Emergency.

Speaking to reporters here after inspecting the preparations for the renowned Sri Meenakshi Sundareshwar Temple consecration ceremony, which is scheduled for September 17, the Minister asserted that no official detention order copy existed to substantiate Stalin's claims of being a MISA detainee.

"No detention copy, no MISA arrest", Nirmal Kumar alleged accusing the opposition DMK of "overreacting and attempting to project Stalin as a political martyr based on unverified historical claims."

"The fundamental question is whether he was detained under MISA or not," Kumar stated.

"If anyone is arrested under such an act, there will always be a formal detention order copy. Does Stalin or the DMK have that detention copy? He will end up being the only martyr without one," he said.

The minister dismissed the defense, noting that the ongoing 40-year controversy only hurts the DMK the more they repeatedly bring it up.

He suggested that Stalin was likely arrested on entirely different legal grounds during that era rather than under the emergency act.

The Minister further criticised DMK's reliance on secondary documents, such as historical excerpts from the Sarkaria Commission or articles printed in the party mouthpiece Murasoli, stating that news reports and witness statements cannot substitute for missing official state detention orders.

Kumar's remarks follow days of intense friction in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. Tensions escalated after Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay cited Sarkaria Commission documents and made jaw gesture referring to the MISA arrests, prompting protests, slogan-shouting, and the eventual eviction of DMK legislators from the House.

Stalin recently defended his prison record in a public video, recounting severe custodial abuse and a fractured jaw while in jail.

Turning his focus to immediate political battles in the by-polls, Nirmal Kumar targeted both the DMK and AIADMK over candidate selections for upcoming by-elections.

He specifically criticised DMK candidate Paranthaman, calling him an "outsider" who failed to serve his former constituency - Egmore.

"The party relies heavily on spending massive sums of money using the notorious 'Thirumangalam formula' to sway voters," Nirmal Kumar alleged and added that the public will sees through these tactics and will decisively reject them at the ballot box.