Udhayanidhi arrested: AIADMK, Left slam speech; DMK, allies cry vendetta

Tamil Nadu’s political temperature soared on Tuesday (August 4) after Leader of the Opposition and DMK Youth Wing Secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin was arrested by police from his Chennai’s Neelankarai residence in connection with alleged derogatory and double-meaning remarks against actor Trisha made during a public meeting in Thanjavur a day earlier.

The arrest, carried out amid heavy police deployment and protests by DMK workers, has triggered a fierce political clash, with ruling TVK ministers and several Opposition parties condemning the speech as vulgar and demeaning to women, while DMK and its allies denounced the arrest as a premeditated attempt to silence the Opposition Leader ahead of the Assembly Budget session.

Udhayanidhi released

Later in the day, the Madras High Court ordered the police to release Udhayanidhi after completing questioning in the case.

AIADMK general secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) strongly condemned Udhayanidhi’s remarks, stating that he “needs restraint” and has repeatedly spoken without regard for the dignity of his position, including demeaning comments about women. “His speech is strongly condemnable,” EPS said, noting that such behaviour has drawn criticism for years.

EPS also questioned the urgency of the arrest. “Filing a case for his speech is one thing, but detaining the Leader of the Opposition, a key component of the legislature, just before the Budget session raises suspicions of a political motive beyond the case. The government should immediately drop the arrest action.”

CPI(M) state secretary P Shanmugam called the use of “obscene and repulsive language” in public “highly condemnable” and demanded an end to remarks that demean women, stressing the need for civil discourse in politics.

BJP deputy general secretary Khushbu Sundar insisted that Udhayanidhi must offer an “unconditional public apology” to Trisha for the “low and insulting” comments, which she said reflected a degrading political culture.

TVK ministers attack Udhayanidhi

Tamil Nadu Minister KG Arunraj labelled the speech “disgusting” and “sewer-like”, accusing Udhayanidhi of insulting farmers, women, and society while calling him “Abhasanidhi”. Minister Rajmohan condemned the remarks for undermining women’s dignity and achievements across fields, while Minister Keerthana said they stained the political culture of the party founded by Anna. Minister CTR Nirmal Kumar defended the arrest, claiming Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay had done “what Amma (Jayalalithaa) would have done” and that Udhayanidhi was unfit even to be an MLA.

Observers noted that this was not the first instance of such controversy involving Udhayanidhi, who has faced multiple pending cases for allegedly defamatory remarks against women and Hindu beliefs, often attributed to political motivations.

DMK leaders and alliance partners portrayed the detention as a political vendetta timed to prevent Udhayanidhi from participating in the Budget session starting on Wednesday (August 5).

MP Kanimozhi called it “blatant cowardice” by a government lacking the courage to face the Opposition, urging the TVK regime to pursue cases in court rather than resort to “suppressive tactics”. DMK general secretary Durai Murugan termed it a “democratic murder” by a “cowardly” government afraid of questions on law and order, power tariffs, and the Cauvery water issue, describing the move as the “peak of fascism”. Former minister Thangam Thennarasu called it an attack on democratic rights and political revenge.

DMDK leader Premalatha Vijayakanth raised concerns over unequal application of the law, describing the move as contrary to democratic values and political etiquette, and comparable to colonial-era restrictions on free speech. She urged the government to abandon the practice of handling political differences through arrests.

The episode has sharpened the battle lines between the ruling TVK and the DMK-led Opposition, with intermediate parties like AIADMK and Left groups navigating a middle path by criticising both the remarks and the timing of the police action. As the Madras High Court is set to hear related petitions and the Assembly prepares for the Budget session, the political fallout is expected to intensify, with both sides gearing up for sustained confrontation in the streets and the legislature.