Setback for DMK: Tamil Nadu police detains Udhayanidhi Stalin over 'obscene' remarks against Trisha

A fresh political storm erupted in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday after police detained Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin and registered a case against him over a controversial remark made during a speech on the Cauvery water dispute. The remark, interpreted by many as referring to actor Trisha and widely flagged as a sexual innuendo linked to Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's friendship with her, drew condemnation from political parties across the state.

Police action and court plea

Following the row, a team of policemen was seen outside Stalin's residence in Chennai, while he moved the Madras High Court seeking anticipatory bail. The court is scheduled to hear Udhayanidhi's plea in the afternoon, even as the controversy continued around his attack on the government's failure to secure Cauvery water for Tamil Nadu.

Remark sparks controversy

The controversy broke out when Udhayanidhi, addressing a gathering on the Cauvery issue, targeted Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay over the government's handling of the dispute. During the speech, someone in the audience shouted, "Trisha, Trisha". After pausing briefly, Udhayanidhi responded with a double entendre, prompting criticism from political opponents, who described the remarks as vulgar and derogatory towards women.

TVK attacks Udhayanidhi

As the row escalated, the ruling TVK mounted a sharp attack on the DMK leader. TVK leader Aadhav Arjuna labelled Udhayanidhi as "Obscene Nidhi", accusing him of lowering the standards of political discourse and insulting women through his remarks. Calling the speech "obscene" and filled with "double-meaning" remarks, Arjuna said the DMK leader was destroying the movement built by Annadurai through "obscene language and double-meaning speeches".

" 'Obscene' Nidhi is destroying the movement that great scholar Anna built with his Tamil erudition, today with his obscene language and double-meaning speeches," Arjuna said in a post on Instagram.

He further alleged that Udhayanidhi's remarks reflected a "perverted thinking about women" and claimed that no "mother, sister or parent of Tamil Nadu" would accept such language in public life. "The obscene speech he has made today, expressing his perverted thinking about women, makes the ears of the listeners tingle. No mother, sister or parent of Tamil Nadu would ever accept such despicable speeches," he said.

Claiming that women voters had already rejected the DMK once, Arjuna asserted that they would "wipe out" Udhayanidhi from Tamil Nadu politics over such remarks. TVK spokesperson Felix Gerald also questioned whether Udhayanidhi would repeat the same remarks before his own children. "Would the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin, play this part of his speech to his own daughter and son? Such disgusting taste," Gerald said in a post on X.

BJP demands action

The BJP also strongly condemned the comments. Tamil Nadu BJP chief spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy described the remarks as "disgusting, obscene, vulgar and shameful" and demanded Udhayanidhi's arrest. Former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai mocked the speech, while BJP state vice-president Khushbu Sundar said Udhayanidhi owed actor Trisha an unconditional public apology.

DMK defends its leader

The DMK, however, defended its leader. Former minister T Mano Thangaraj dismissed the controversy as a politically motivated attempt to divert attention from the Cauvery issue and the plight of delta farmers. Calling it "manufactured hatred", Thangaraj urged critics to debate policies instead of "selective fake news", arguing that the outrage was aimed at preventing Udhayanidhi from raising uncomfortable questions against the government in the Assembly.

With a case registered, a detention carried out and an anticipatory bail plea set to come up before the Madras High Court, the controversy over Udhayanidhi Stalin's remark has intensified the political confrontation, while the Cauvery dispute remains at the centre of the wider exchange.