Chennai, August 04: Former Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and current Leader of the Opposition DMK party Udhayanidhi Stalin has been taken into custody by the police. The action was taken on a complaint filed by Chief Minister Vijay’s ‘Tamilaga Vetri Kalagam’ (TVK) party, alleging that he made objectionable statements about actress Trisha Krishnan during the Cauvery water sharing protest held in Thanjavur.
What was the background to the incident?
Udhayanidhi Stalin was speaking at a farmers’ protest meeting organized by DMK on the Cauvery water crisis in Thanjavur. While Udhayanidhi was attacking Chief Minister Joseph Vijay, some people in the meeting started shouting actress Trisha’s name. Udayanidhi responded with a smile, “Whether the water reaches where it is or not, it must reach there.” He had spoken ambiguously, saying, “I said Cauvery water.” There was a lot of outrage as the video went viral on social media.
TVK complaint and police action?
Strongly condemning Udhayanidhi’s statement, the leaders of the TVK party and women’s wing have filed a complaint with the Thanjavur police station and the National Commission for Women (NCW). TVK MLAs and leaders have said that such statements that publicly insult and degrade women are not befitting of public leaders.
As soon as the complaint was filed, TVK workers called for a protest, heavy police security was provided to Udhayanidhi’s residence in Nilangarai. Later, Thanjavur police took Udhayanidhi Stalin into custody. Many political parties, including the Tamil Nadu BJP, have strongly condemned Udhayanidhi’s statement and demanded a public apology.