DMK Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin was arrested on Tuesday in connection with a complaint alleging he made misogynistic remarks at a public meeting in Thanjavur. The arrest was made following a complaint registered by a ruling TVK functionary accusing him of making indecent, double entendre remarks seemingly directed at an actor during his speech. The complaints against him include allegations that he made remarks that were derogatory to women.
Based on the complaint, the Thanjavur East Police had filed a case against the DMK leader under various sections of the law. However, the Madras High Court later directed the police to release Mr. Udhayanidhi on station bail after questioning. Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin maintained that he did not intend to hurt or disparage anyone, especially women.
He accused the TVK government of foisting the case against him to divert attention from the issues faced by farmers that he had raised during the protest in Thanjavur on August 3. He also claimed that the government had resorted to ‘cut-and-paste’ techniques to attribute words to him that he had never uttered. The arrest sparked widespread protests across the state, with DMK cadre staging demonstrations and condemning the arrest.
The party’s youth wing alleged that the government had resorted to the action instead of responding to the questions Mr. Udhayanidhi had raised over its handling of the Cauvery water dispute. TVK senior leader and Tamil Nadu Minister for Energy and Law R. Nirmalkumar said Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin was ‘unfit to enter the Assembly and be in public life.’ He claimed that the DMK leader’s remarks were unbecoming of the Leader of the Opposition.
AIADMK general secretary and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami urged the TVK-led government to drop the arrest proceedings against Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin, calling it politically motivated. Udhayanidhi Stalin was released on station bail after questioning and later landed at Chennai Airport, where he was welcomed by his party men.
