Tamil Nadu LoP Udhayanidhi Stalin arrested over crass Trisha remarks, says being targeted
TVK leader Aadhav Arjuna called him "Obscene Nidhi", accusing him of lowering the standard of political debate and insulting women with double-meaning comments.
PTC News Desk: The Tamil Nadu Police on Tuesday detained Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin moments after a case was registered against him over a controversial remark that many have interpreted as referring to actor Trisha.
Earlier on Tuesday, Tamil Nadu Police registered a case against Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin over a controversial remark made during a speech that many people believed was aimed at actor Trisha.
The comment was made while Udhayanidhi was criticising Chief Minister Vijay over the Cauvery water dispute. During the speech, someone in the crowd shouted "Trisha, Trisha". Udhayanidhi then responded with a remark that many interpreted as a sexual innuendo, triggering strong criticism across Tamil Nadu.
Criticism across party line
Political parties from across the state condemned the comment, calling it vulgar and disrespectful towards women. After the controversy grew, police registered a case against Udhayanidhi, and officers were seen outside his Chennai residence. He has also approached the Madras High Court seeking anticipatory bail.
The ruling TVK strongly criticised the DMK leader over the remarks. TVK leader Aadhav Arjuna called him "Obscene Nidhi", accusing him of lowering the standard of political debate and insulting women with double-meaning comments.
#WATCH | Tamil Nadu | 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 pic.twitter.com/d1evXEG2By
— ANI (@ANI) August 4, 2026
Arjuna said Udhayanidhi's speech was offensive and claimed it reflected a disrespectful attitude towards women. He also said such language would not be accepted by the people of Tamil Nadu, especially women and families.
The BJP also criticised Udhayanidhi Stalin's remarks. Tamil Nadu BJP chief spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy called the comments "disgusting, obscene, vulgar and shameful" and demanded that Udhayanidhi be arrested.
Former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai also criticised the speech, while BJP state vice-president Khushbu Sundar said Udhayanidhi should publicly apologise to actor Trisha without any conditions.
However, the DMK defended its leader. Former minister T Mano Thangaraj said the controversy was being used to shift attention away from the Cauvery water issue and the problems faced by farmers in the delta region.
He described the criticism as a politically motivated campaign and urged opponents to focus on discussing government policies instead of spreading what he called "selective fake news". Thangaraj also claimed the outrage was intended to stop Udhayanidhi from questioning the government in the Assembly.