Overview
- The gesture began in March 2026 when DMK leader M. K. Stalin used a downward slicing hand movement to signal the end of seat‑sharing talks with the Congress.
- In June 2026, Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay reproduced the same motion on the floor of the Tamil Nadu Assembly and supporters quickly popularised it as part of his public persona.
- The DMK IT Wing posted a social‑media image on Wednesday that placed Vijay’s gesture beside the RSS Dhwaj Pranam and called him the “child adopted by the RSS,” escalating the dispute into an explicit ideological charge.
- Supporters have continued to imitate and share the gesture in public settings, including a video circulated by Tamil Nadu minister Arun Raj showing medical aspirants copying the movement.
- Reporting so far documents the posts and mimicry but does not independently verify any direct link between the gesture’s origin and RSS practice, and the exchange could deepen partisan framing in the Assembly and on social media.