Chennai: Tamil Nadu Leader of the Opposition and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader Udhayanidhi Stalin was taken into police custody on Tuesday following high drama outside his Chennai residence, where a heavy police deployment was put in place early in the day.
This comes a day after a case was registered at Thanjavur East police station over alleged derogatory and sexist remarks made during a public speech in Thanjavur. He had been booked under sections 196, 192, 352, 79, 296(b), 61 and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, following a complaint by the women’s wing of the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.
An urgent anticipatory bail petition filed on his behalf is scheduled for hearing before the Madras High Court this afternoon.
The controversy erupted during a DMK protest in Thanjavur demanding action on the Cauvery water dispute, loan waivers for farmers and opposition to the Mekedatu dam project.
Addressing the gathering, Udhayanidhi criticised Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, accusing him of remaining silent on the water crisis while focusing on filing cases against the opposition. When sections of the crowd began chanting “Trisha, Trisha,” referring to actor Trisha Krishnan, Udhayanidhi paused, smirked and responded with a remark widely interpreted as an offensive double entendre involving the actress, who is known to be close to the chief minister.
He later clarified that he was referring to Cauvery water, but the video of the exchange quickly went viral and triggered widespread condemnation.
TVK leaders described the comments as disgusting and a new low in political discourse, while BJP spokespersons called them obscene, vulgar and shameful, demanding his immediate arrest. Senior BJP leaders, including Narayanan Thirupathy and Tamilisai Soundararajan, criticised the remarks for demeaning women and diverting attention from genuine farmer issues. TVK MLA Rhevanth Charan slammed the DMK leadership, accusing the opposition of resorting to cheap engagement farming after failing to mobilize public support on the Cauvery issue. Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President Manickam Tagore also termed the language unacceptable and urged Udhayanidhi to issue an unconditional apology.
TVK representatives petitioned the National Commission for Women (NCW) to demand a formal explanation, an unconditional apology, and legal accountability, as well.
The episode has intensified the political confrontation between the DMK and the TVK-led government, with opposition leaders accusing the administration of selective targeting while the ruling party maintains that the remarks crossed the bounds of acceptable public speech.
