Udhayanidhi says remarks were distorted, denies offensive intent after police questioning

TIRUCHY:Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin on Tuesday alleged that his speech at the DMK's farmers' protest in Thanjavur had been deliberately distorted through "cut, copy and paste" edits to justify police action against him.

Speaking to reporters after being questioned by police near Tiruchy, he maintained that his entire 25-minute speech was focused on farmers' issues, the Cauvery water dispute and the State government's handling of agriculture.

Udhayanidhi claimed that after his speech received a positive response from farmers, the government resorted to a "diversion tactic" by circulating edited videos and attributing statements that he never made. He alleged that fake reels and manipulated clips were distributed widely, including to national media, to create a false narrative and pave the way for police action.

Rejecting allegations that his speech contained offensive or derogatory remarks about women, Udhayanidhi said he had no such intention. He said his parents had raised him to respect women and added that, as a husband, father of a daughter and brother, he viewed every woman in Tamil Nadu as his own family. He maintained that his speech was solely in support of farmers and insisted he had not used any double meaning or objectionable language.

He said the case and police action were politically motivated attempts to intimidate him, but asserted that he would continue to raise the Cauvery issue and the concerns of farmers. "I will speak again, even a hundred times," he said, adding that he was prepared to challenge the case legally.

LoP criticised the manner in which he was transported by road from Chennai with heavy police security. He said nearly 3,000 police personnel escorted him over about 400 km from Chennai at public expense "as if they were transporting a terrorist". He alleged that despite being taken towards Thanjavur, he was stopped midway at Sengipatti police station where he was questioned before being released, describing the exercise as an unnecessary misuse of taxpayers' money.

Udhayanidhi also called Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay a "cowardly Chief Minister", alleging that he had avoided facing the media during an earlier crisis in which around 41 people had died in a Karur stampede and had remained "underground" for weeks. He claimed Vijay now believed filing cases against DMK leaders would similarly intimidate them. "The DMK has never been afraid. We will continue to meet the people and the media,"

Expressing disappointment that some political leaders had criticised him without watching or listening to his full speech, Udhayanidhi reiterated that he had spoken only about farmers, the delay in releasing Cauvery water and the need for the government to protect Tamil Nadu's rights. He maintained that the case was an attempt to divert attention from those issues and vowed to continue raising them both inside and outside the Assembly.