CHENNAI: DMK MP Kanimozhi on Tuesday accused the Tamil Nadu government of targeting Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin out of political vendetta, alleging that his detention was aimed at preventing him from attending the Assembly session and calling the move “blatant cowardice.”In a post on X, Kanimozhi said, “If the government wants to personally take revenge against LoP Udhayanidhi Stalin, let it file a case. Let the court deliver its verdict. But, lacking the courage to confront the DMK as an opposition party, for the government to resort to such oppressive tactics is against the law. Arresting the Leader of Opposition in this way, solely to prevent him from participating in the Assembly session starting tomorrow, is blatant cowardice.“The controversy stems from Udhayanidhi Stalin’s speech at a public meeting in Thanjavur on the Cauvery water dispute, where he was interrupted by sections of the crowd chanting “Trisha, Trisha.” Pausing briefly, he allegedly remarked, “Whether the water reaches anywhere else or not, it should reach there,” before clarifying that he was referring to the Cauvery water.Following the remarks, the women’s wing of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) lodged a complaint at the Thanjavur police station, alleging that Udhayanidhi made a double-entendre remark targeting the actor.TVK MLA Rhevanth Charan described the alleged remark as “disgusting”, while MDMK Principal Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Durai Vaiko said the comments were condemnable and insulting to women.Defending the DMK leader, party MP TR Baalu rejected the allegations, saying, “He has not mentioned any word about the particular woman. It is all false.”Udhayanidhi Stalin was later detained by the Tamil Nadu Police from his Chennai residence after an FIR was registered over the alleged remarks.
