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Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin, on Tuesday, August 4, defended his controversial speech that led to his arrest, insisting that his remarks carried "only a single meaning" and were aimed solely at highlighting the plight of Tamil Nadu's farmers. Speaking to reporters after being released on station bail following questioning at the Sengipatti police station in Thanjavur district, he accused the ruling Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) government of using the case to divert attention from the Cauvery water issue.
Udhayanidhi said he had no intention of hurting anyone, particularly women, and rejected allegations that his speech contained a double entendre.
"This government arrested me because I spoke for farmers. I will not be afraid of this. I will talk a hundred more times. Some people allege that I spoke with double meaning. But I didn't. I spoke only with a single meaning and I will talk again. In the past, because of our leader's efforts, water came from Cauvery for our farmers. This year it didn't come. That's what I spoke about. I will talk about it again and again. I will not be afraid of such false cases. I am ready to face this legally," he said.
He further alleged that the TVK government had foisted the case to distract the public from the issues faced by farmers, particularly the failure to secure Cauvery water and address the Mekedatu dam issue.
Udhayanidhi was released on station bail on Tuesday evening after being questioned for over an hour at the Sengipatti police station. The Madras High Court had earlier directed the police to release him on station bail after questioning and instructed him to cooperate with the investigation and appear before the police whenever required.
Backing his son, DMK president MK Stalin accused the TVK government of orchestrating the arrest to suppress the Opposition ahead of the Assembly's Budget session. He alleged that the government had failed to respond to the DMK's criticism over the Cauvery dispute and had instead resorted to arresting the Leader of the Opposition.
"The government has failed to respond to those charges and has instead resorted to arresting Udhayanidhi to divert attention from the Cauvery issue." He also alleged that "the timing of the arrest -- a day before the state budget session - is an attempt to keep the Leader of the Opposition out of the Assembly," he said.
He also questioned why Udhayanidhi was taken to Thanjavur for questioning if the investigation could have been conducted in Chennai and claimed the High Court's direction to release him on the same day was "a blow to the fascist nature of the TVK." He further asserted that Udhayanidhi "did not say anything obscene" and maintained that the controversy had been created to divert attention from the issues raised by the Opposition.
Udhayanidhi was arrested on Tuesday in connection with a case alleging that he made offensive and misogynistic remarks during the DMK's protest on the Cauvery issue in Thanjavur on Monday. He has denied the allegations and said he would contest the case through legal means while continuing to speak on farmers' issues.
