DMK’s Udhayanidhi Stalin arrested over remarks about Tamil Nadu CM Vijay

DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin was arrested Tuesday morning from his home in Chennai's Neelankarai neighbourhood for remarks widely interpreted as a sexually suggestive reference to Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s friendship with a popular Tamil actor.

Police gathered outside Udhayanidhi Stalin's home waiting to enter and arrest him, but their entry was briefly delayed while the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's legal team negotiated with the cops. Shortly after 11 AM the police received the all-clear and Stalin junior – a former deputy chief minister and the son of party boss MK Stalin – was taken into custody.

Reports indicate Udhayanidhi Stalin has been taken to Thanjavur – where he made the comments and where he is expected to be questioned. Speaking to reporters as police took him away, the younger Stalin said he was being arrested for “things I never said".

Udhayanidhi Stalin Arrested LIVE UPDATES | Tamil Nadu tense as DMK protests against police action He claimed the case against him was an attempt to divert public attention from real issues and took a swipe at the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, declaring “everyone in the government – from the Chief Minister to the ministers – is living in reels".

He also declared police action against him a “comedy” and said he intended to file legal challenges. #WATCH | DMK leader and LoP Udhayanidhi Stalin detained by Police from his Chennai residence, following an FIR against him over his alleged defamatory remarks against CM Vijay.

Slogans directed at actor Trisha were raised at his rally yesterday. pic.twitter.com/wTM6rABo85 He also declared police action against him a “comedy” and said he intended to file legal challenges. The Indian Express has exclusively accessed details of the case registered at the Thanjavur East Police Station.

The charges include criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity between groups, provoking riots, insulting the modesty of a woman, obscene utterances in a public place, criminal intimidation, intentional insult intended to provoke a breach of peace.

It started with a DMK protest over the Cauvery water-sharing dispute and the proposed Mekedatu dam project. Addressing the meeting in Thanjavur, Udhayanidhi Stalin criticised the Tamil Nadu government for failing to secure Cauvery water supply from Karnataka.

“Forty-five thousand million cubic feet (tmc) of water should have come… but not a single drop has come. But the CM we have is not even opening his mouth. His only concern is about how to impose false cases on DMK leaders…” he said.

At that point, sections of the audience began chanting the name of a prominent Tamil actor seen as a close friend of Vijay. Pausing his speech and smiling, Udhayanidhi Stalin then made the alleged remark. The crowd responded with loud applause and laughter.

He then added: "I mean, I was referring to Cauvery only." The exchange quickly spread across social media and prompted sharp criticism from across the political spectrum.