'Vulgar' remarks at rally: Udhayanidhi Stalin held, quizzed, granted station bail

Chennai: DMK leader and the leader of the opposition in the Tamil Nadu assembly, Udhayanidhi Stalin, was arrested from his residence in Chennai on Tuesday after a case was registered against him over his allegedly objectionable remarks made during a rally on the Cauvery water dispute in Thanjavur. The row erupted after his comments were seen as being suggestive of Vijay's friendship with actress Trisha. Opposition parties accused the DMK leader of targeting Vijay with a double entendre while responding to slogans raised by party workers.

"I spoke for over 20 minutes on farmers, their welfare and the Cauvery river water issue. They have manipulated something that I never spoke about and are using it as a diversion tactic. It's not me; even a basic member of my party will not be threatened by such arrests. We will face it legally," Stalin told the media as he was being taken away to Thanjavur, where a first information report was registered in connection with his speech at Monday's rally.

Later in the day, the Madras High Court directed Stalin to cooperate with the ongoing police investigation and appear for questioning. The court also instructed authorities to release him after completing the inquiry. Following the completion of questioning, he was released on station bail as per the state government's submission in the Madras High Court.


DMK cadres protested outside the high court against Stalin's arrest. Protests also erupted in several parts of Tamil Nadu. DMK alleged that the TVK government had registered a false case against Udhayanidhi Stalin after he criticised the ruling dispensation over the Cauvery issue. In a statement, DMK alleged that Stalin had spoken about the Cauvery issue during a protest without naming any individual and questioned the allegations that he had made obscene remarks or used a double entendre.

DMK claimed that instead of responding to the issues raised, the TVK government had resorted to filing a false case against him.

Cong says Remarks 'unacceptable', BJP also condemns Comments

Tamil Nadu Congress chief Manickam Tagore called the language "unacceptable" and urged Stalin to withdraw the remarks and issue an unconditional apology. BJP leader and former Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan said criticism of political opponents should retain "a certain purity of thought" and alleged that resorting to "vulgar double meanings" reflected poorly on DMK's political culture. TVK also came out strongly against the comments. Public works minister Aadhav Arjuna described the speech as "vulgar and disgraceful", saying it lacked "the most basic human dignity" and was unbecoming of an LoP.