DMK leader and Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin was detained from his residence in Neelankarai on Tuesday after an FIR was registered against him over alleged objectionable remarks made during a rally on the Cauvery water dispute in Thanjavur.
A police team led by Joint Commissioner of Police Dr P. Vijayakumar took Udhayanidhi into custody from his residence and escorted him in a police vehicle. He is expected to be taken to Thanjavur, where the FIR was registered in connection with his speech at Monday’s rally.
The detention came after Udhayanidhi approached the Madras High Court seeking anticipatory bail, apprehending arrest in the case. When the matter was mentioned before Justice G.K. Ilanthiraiyan, the court agreed to hear the urgent plea and orally directed the police not to precipitate the matter until the petition was taken up.
Speaking to reporters after being detained, Udhayanidhi described the case as “forged” and said he would challenge it legally. He also alleged that since the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government came to power, it had been filing “fake cases” against DMK MLAs and indulging in “horse-trading.”
According to the complaint, during the rally, sections of the crowd began chanting “Trisha, Trisha”, following which Udhayanidhi allegedly remarked, “Whether the water reaches anywhere else or not, it should reach there,” before adding that he was referring to the Cauvery water.
The alleged remarks triggered a political controversy, with opposition parties accusing the DMK leader of making a double-entendre comment targeting Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay while responding to slogans raised by party workers.
Based on a complaint filed by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), Thanjavur Police registered an FIR against Udhayanidhi under charges of promoting enmity between groups, provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act.
TVK has also approached the National Commission for Women (NCW), alleging that the remarks were “vulgar”, “objectifying” and “sexually suggestive”. The party has sought legal action against Udhayanidhi, an unconditional public apology and intervention by the commission.
Udhayanidhi, son of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, is the Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly after the DMK lost power in the 2026 Assembly elections. A former actor and film producer, he entered electoral politics in 2022 and later served as Tamil Nadu’s Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development.
