CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu leader of opposition and DMK MLA Udhayanidhi Stalin was arrested on Tuesday after police registered a case over his alleged remarks during a Cauvery protest meeting in Thanjavur, triggering a political storm over whether he had made an objectionable reference to actor Trisha.The controversy erupted during Udhayanidhi’s speech on the Cauvery water issue on Monday. While speaking about Karnataka’s release of Cauvery water, he said: “In July, 32 TMC of water should have been released from Karnataka, and the total inflow should have been 42 TMC. But we haven’t received even a single drop of water. Has the Chief Minister opened his mouth on this issue? What is his only concern? What fake cases can be filed against the DMK?”At that point, sections of the audience began chanting “Trisha, Trisha.” Udhayanidhi then responded, “Whether the water reaches anywhere else or not, it should reach there.”A Times of India review of the speech found that Udhayanidhi did not explicitly mention actor Trisha by name. The words “Trisha, Trisha” were chanted by the audience, not spoken by Udhayanidhi. However, the complaint filed by the women’s wing of the ruling Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) alleges that his response amounted to an obscene double-entendre directed at the actor, insulting her modesty and demeaning women.“Did I mention anyone’s name except the CM’s? Then why do you think this is happening? Let the court decide,” he told reporters before being escorted away by police from his Neelankarai residence in Chennai.He also dismissed the case as a “comedy” and alleged that a misleading narrative had been created by selectively editing his speech.“They have propagated fake news by using ‘cut, copy, paste’ to claim I said something I never said. I am not the kind of person to be intimidated by all this. I will face it legally,” he said.DMK leaders echoed his defence. Party spokesperson TKS Elangovan said he had watched the entire speech and claimed Udhayanidhi only criticised the state government.“He only listed out the government’s failures. Nothing was insulting in his speech. He did not even mention the name of the actress. He was only attacking the government,” Elangovan said.The complaint, however, alleges that while Udhayanidhi did not explicitly name Trisha, he made a sexually suggestive remark after the crowd chanted her name. S Bairavi, TVK’s Central District Women’s Wing organiser for Thanjavur, alleged that the response caused mental agony to the actor and women in general and that a video of the incident was deliberately circulated on social media.TVK has also approached the National Commission for Women (NCW), seeking action against the DMK leader and demanding an unconditional public apology.Based on the complaint, Thanjavur East Police registered an FIR against Udhayanidhi under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act and the Information Technology Act. He was later arrested and taken to Thanjavur for further proceedings.The arrest sparked protests by DMK workers across Tamil Nadu, with road blockades reported in several districts. Party chief MK Stalin convened an emergency meeting, while senior DMK leaders accused the ruling TVK government of political vendetta and claimed the timing of the arrest was aimed at preventing Udhayanidhi from participating in the Assembly session beginning Wednesday.
