CHENNAI: Senior BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan on Wednesday said that Tamil Nadu is on the verge of "facing another freedom struggle," as the people of the state are being denied the liberty to speak, think, or even move freely. Addressing reporters at Kamalalayam, she said that true nationalism lies in reverence for the motherland and that the BJP alone embodies that genuine patriotic spirit. "In today's Tamil Nadu, a woman walking with a male friend after 10 pm is chased, sexually assaulted, and thrown away naked. Women are forced to fight for their freedom again,” she lamented, sharply criticising the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

Recalling the 150th anniversary of the composition of the iconic 'Vande Mataram' song, she said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had highlighted its importance during his 'Mann Ki Baat' address and had constituted a special committee to commemorate the occasion. "The essence of Vande Mataram is the worship of the motherland. Bharathiar revered both the mother and the soil, that is true nationalism,” she noted.