New Delhi: DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin was arrested on Tuesday, August 4, from his Chennai residence for questioning over his controversial remarks against actress Trisha Krishnan at a Thanjavur rally.
The development follows Udhayanidhi’s controversial speech at a DMK farmers’ protest on August 3 concerning the Cauvery water dispute. During the rally, he allegedly used an offensive double entendre alluding to actor Trisha, after sections of the crowd chanted her name.
Besides a police complaint, the ruling TVK party, led by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, has formally lodged a complaint with the National Commission for Women seeking action over the speech.
While being escorted from his Chennai residence, Udhayanidhi said that the action was being taken to divert attention from real issues even as his party called it a political vendetta. “Nothing was said against anyone. Udayanidhi listed out Vijay’s failures. There was nothing insulting in the speech. He didn’t even name Trisha,” DMK leader TKS Elangovan said.
Just a day ago, the Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Udhayanidhi faced severe criticism over the remarks made during a public meeting in Thanjavur on the Cauvery water issue.
While addressing the protest gathering, Udhayanidhi took a swipe at Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, alleging that Tamil Nadu had not received a single drop of Cauvery water.
However, when someone in the crowd chanted, “Trisha, Trisha”, Udhayanidhi responded with an offensive double entendre.
This raised hackles within the ruling TVK, as the CM is reportedly dating Trisha.
According to PTI, a police complaint was lodged at the Thanjavur East Police Station by S. Bairavi, the TVK’s Central District Women’s Wing Organiser for Thanjavur.
The complainant accused him and DMK IT wing officials of intentionally degrading women, causing mental agony to
the actor and women in general, and deliberately circulating a video of the incident on X to cause public unrest.
A formal complaint has reportedly been lodged by TVK’s national spokesperson, Pazha Selvakumar, with the NCW in New Delhi.
The ruling party has urged the Commission to issue a notice seeking an explanation and demand a public apology from Udhayanidhi.
The BJP has also targeted the DMK leader over the issue. Tamil Nadu BJP chief spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy
demanded Udhayanidhi’s arrest, describing the remarks as “disgusting, obscene, vulgar and shameful”.
