Udhayanidhi Stalin’s Arrest: Shocking Details After Tamil Nadu LoP Picked Up Over Cauvery Protest Remarks
Udhayanidhi Stalin’s Arrest: Political Storm Erupts After Tamil Nadu LoP Picked Up Over Alleged Remarks at Cauvery Protest
A major political controversy has gripped Tamil Nadu after Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin was arrested on Tuesday over alleged remarks made during a Cauvery water protest in Thanjavur. The DMK leader was picked up by Thanjavur East Police from his residence in Neelankarai, Chennai, and taken to Thanjavur for questioning.
The controversy began when a section of the crowd at the protest started chanting the name of a popular south Indian actress while Udhayanidhi was addressing the gathering. He allegedly responded, “Whether the water reaches anywhere else or not, it should reach there.” Udhayanidhi later clarified that he was referring only to Cauvery water.
However, the women’s wing of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) lodged a complaint alleging that the remark carried a double meaning and was derogatory towards the actress. Police registered a case against him under Sections 61, 79, 192, 196, 296(b), 351(2) and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act.
The Madras High Court later directed the police to release Udhayanidhi after completing the inquiry and asked him to cooperate with the investigation whenever required.
Who Said What After Udhayanidhi Stalin’s Arrest
DMK MP Kanimozhi strongly condemned the arrest, calling it an attempt to prevent the Opposition Leader from participating in the Assembly session beginning on Wednesday. “Arresting the Opposition Leader in this way is blatant cowardice,” she said, adding that the government should approach the court instead of using oppressive tactics.
VCK MP Thol. Thirumavalavan noted that Udhayanidhi’s remark came after the crowd began chanting the actress’s name and appeared sarcastic, though it carried an unintended double meaning. He advised the Leader of the Opposition to avoid such language while also urging the ruling party not to imprison him when the Assembly was about to meet.
Tamil Nadu BJP Vice-President Khushbu Sundar slammed the speech as “crass, cheap and deeply derogatory.” She demanded an unconditional public apology to the actress and warned that treating insults against women as political theatre was unacceptable.
TVK spokesperson Americai Narayanan accused Udhayanidhi of using a farmers’ platform to make shameful remarks against women and claimed people had started calling him “vulgar nidhi.”
Congress MP Jothimani also criticised the remark, saying women should not be dragged into political battles and that Udhayanidhi, as a follower of Periyar, should have reprimanded the crowd instead.
DMK Defends Udhayanidhi, Calls Case False
The DMK maintained that Udhayanidhi had only spoken about the Cauvery issue without naming anyone and alleged that the TVK government filed a false case to silence criticism. The party claimed the arrest was timed to stop him from raising the Cauvery issue in the Assembly and vowed to continue its fight against what it called the “fascist TVK government.”
Udhayanidhi Stalin’s arrest has once again brought the long-standing Cauvery water dispute into the political spotlight, with parties trading sharp accusations while the Leader of the Opposition is expected to be released after the inquiry.
