'Blatant cowardice': DMK slams Vijay govt over arrest of Udhayanidhi Stalin

DMK MP Kanimozhi on Tuesday strongly condemned the Vijay government over the arrest of Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin, alleging that the move was a act of political vendetta aimed at preventing him from attending the upcoming Legislative Assembly session.

If the government wants to personally take revenge against LoP Udhayanidhi Stalin, let it file a case, she said in a post on X. "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."

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Stalin, the former deputy chief minister of the State, was taken away by police from his Neelankarai residence in a bus.

He will be taken to Thanjavur, where during a rally held yesterday in his public address over the Cauvery water dispute, Udhayanidhi Stalin 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.

Meanwhile, TVK workers and supporters staged a protest against Udhayanidhi Stalin in Coimbatore.

The women's wing of TVK had yesterday lodged a complaint at the Thanjavur police station, alleging that Udhayanidhi made a double-entendre remark about actor Trisha Krishnan.

Udhayanidhi also faced strong criticism from the ruling camp.

TVK MLA Rhevanth Charan termed the remark "disgusting" and accused the DMK leadership of lowering the standards of political discourse.

"Absolutely disgusting. Passing such disgraceful comments against anyone is completely unacceptable. It exposes the mindset, political culture, and declining standards of the Arivalayam clan. Your announced protest collapsed even before it could begin. Now, desperate for attention, you have resorted to cheap provocation and engagement farming. This is precisely why the people of Tamil Nadu rejected you and confined you to the position you are in today. Continue with this arrogance and indecency, and you will soon be erased from public relevance altogether. Even by Arivalayam's already abysmal standards, this is a new low," Charan said.

MDMK Principal Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Durai Vaiko also criticised the alleged remark, saying the focus of the event should have remained on the Cauvery issue and the concerns of Tamil Nadu's farmers.

"The issue was about Cauvery and the sufferings of the Tamil Nadu farmers. It is highly condemnable that the Opposition leader Udhayanidhi Stalin has uttered such derogatory comments. It goes against women. I condemn it. It was not a stage to settle personal scores. It is unfortunate," Vaiko told ANI.

Responding to the criticism, DMK MP TR Baalu rejected the allegations and said Udhayanidhi Stalin had not referred to any individual.

"He has not mentioned any word about the particular woman. It is all false," Baalu told reporters.