Tamil Nadu opposition leader arrested over 'obscene' remark linking actress to CM Vijay

Tamil Nadu opposition leader arrested over 'obscene' remark linking actress to CM Vijay

Police in Tamil Nadu have taken opposition leader Udhayanidhi Stalin into custody over an allegedly obscene comment with sexual innuendo about the friendship between Chief Minister 'Thalapathy' Vijay and popular actress Trisha Krishnan.

Stalin was arrested around 11am on Tuesday, August 4, after a case was filed against him. A large police contingent had been waiting outside his Chennai residence before his arrest. He was later taken to Thanjavur, where he may be questioned in a case filed over the controversial remarks made at a protest meeting on the Cauvery water dispute.

The comment was made during an attempt to attack Chief Minister Vijay over the Cauvery river water-sharing dispute and a proposed dam project. Many believe Stalin indirectly referred to actress Trisha. The remark quickly spread on social media and drew sharp condemnation from nearly all political parties in Tamil Nadu.

During a public meeting, Stalin criticised the state government's failure to bring Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. When a section of the audience chanted actress Trisha's name, Stalin made an ambiguous comment, saying, "Whether water comes or not, water must reach. I only meant Cauvery." The remark drew laughter and applause from the crowd but was condemned by the ruling party as "obscene" and "insulting to women" .

The ruling party TVK intensified its attack on Stalin. TVK leader Adhav Arjun mocked Stalin as "obscene Nidhi" and accused him of lowering the standard of political discourse and insulting women.

Stalin has filed an anticipatory bail petition with the Madras High Court, with a hearing scheduled for Tuesday afternoon . While being taken away, he told journalists, "I am being arrested for something I did not say." He alleged that the case was filed to divert public attention from the state's real problems and described the police action as "comedy," announcing that he would fight the case legally.

The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president called the language used by Stalin "unacceptable" and demanded an unconditional apology. BJP leader and former Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan said such obscene remarks reflect badly on DMK's political culture.