CHENNAI: DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Assembly Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin smiled and waved at supporters as police escorted him into custody on Tuesday in connection with an FIR over his alleged remarks during a rally on the Cauvery water dispute.The Thanjavur (East) police took Udhayanidhi into custody from his residence in Neelankarai, Chennai, and took him to Thanjavur for questioning in connection with the case registered over his speech at Monday’s protest meeting.Speaking to reporters after his detention, Udhayanidhi dismissed the action as “a joke” and alleged that a “fake narrative” had been created against him.“They have propagated fake news by using ‘cut, copy, paste’ to claim I said something I never said. I am not the kind of person to be intimidated by all this. I will fight it legally,” he said.Udhayanidhi has been booked under Sections 61, 79, 192, 196, 296(b), 351(2) and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act.The controversy erupted during Monday’s protest in Thanjavur over the Cauvery water dispute. As Udhayanidhi addressed the gathering, sections of the crowd began chanting “Trisha, Trisha.” After pausing briefly, he allegedly remarked, “Whether the water reaches anywhere else or not, it should reach there,” before adding that he was referring to the Cauvery water.Following the remarks, the women’s wing of the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) lodged a complaint with the Thanjavur East police, alleging that the DMK leader had made a double-entendre remark targeting actor Trisha.TVK also approached the National Commission for Women (NCW), seeking legal action against Udhayanidhi, an unconditional public apology and intervention by the commission. The party alleged that the remarks were vulgar, objectified women and lowered the standards of political discourse.The BJP also targeted the DMK leader over the issue, with Tamil Nadu BJP chief spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy demanding his arrest and describing the remarks as “disgusting, obscene, vulgar and shameful.”The DMK, however, defended Udhayanidhi, maintaining that his remarks had been misrepresented and were aimed only at criticising the state government over the Cauvery issue. Party spokesperson TKS Elangovan said Udhayanidhi neither referred to the actor by name nor made any insulting remarks, alleging that the controversy was politically motivated.(With agency inputs)
