Udhayanidhi Stalin Arrested: Before Trisha Trash Talk, He Spoke About Sasikala’s Footwear, Sanatan Dharma
Udhayanidhi Stalin Arrested: Before Trisha Trash Talk, He Spoke About Sasikala’s Footwear, Sanatan Dharma Published By, Last Updated: August 04, 2026, 11:58 IST Tamilaga Vettri
Udhayanidhi Stalin Arrested: Before Trisha Trash Talk, He Spoke About Sasikala’s Footwear, Sanatan Dharma Published By, Last Updated: August 04, 2026, 11:58 IST Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) slammed Udhayanidhi Stalin's remark as "disgusting pornographic language”, while BJP demanded his arrest for obscenity, lowering dignity of women Rapid Read Trisha, Udhayanidhi Stalin Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and Tamil Nadu Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin was on Tuesday arrested for his remarks on actor Trisha during a rally. The leader has repeatedly courted political storms through his public remarks. Sanatan Dharma to Sasikala’s footwear to Trisha, a look at Stalin’s remarks that sparked political storms. AUGUST 2026: THE ‘TRISHA’ DOUBLE ENTENDRE INNUENDO While addressing a protest over the Cauvery water-sharing dispute in Thanjavur, Udhayanidhi was launching a fierce attack on Chief Minister Vijay. As he alleged that Vijay cared little about water entering Tamil Nadu, sections of the DMK crowd began chanting the name of actor Trisha, who is widely linked to Vijay on social media and a frequent co-star.
Stalin paused and responded to the chants, following which the TVK and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders accused him of making an inappropriate double entendre referring to the actor. The ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) slammed the remark as “disgusting pornographic language", while the BJP demanded his immediate arrest for public obscenity and lowering the dignity of women. Protests have erupted outside his Chennai residence. MAY 2026: DOUBLING DOWN ON SANATAN DHARMA Following political shifts that placed him in the role of Leader of the Opposition (LoP), Udhayanidhi chose his maiden speech in the Assembly to revive the issue. In front of the new Chief Minister, C. Joseph Vijay, Udhayanidhi explicitly reiterated: “Sanatana Dharma, which divides the people, must certainly be abolished." Faced with fresh outrage, he stated on floor that “destroying Sanatana" does not mean forcing people to stop going to temples, but rather ending institutional caste hierarchies. The Madras High Court had previously criticized the harsh undertones of his earlier version of this speech.
SEPTEMBER 2023: THE ‘SANATAN DHARMA’ ERADICATION ROW Speaking at the Sanatana Ozhippu Maanaadu (Sanatana Abolition Conference), Udhayanidhi equated Sanatan Dharma to infectious diseases. He stated: “There are some things that we have to eradicate and we can’t merely oppose. Mosquitoes, dengue, corona, and malaria are things that we cannot oppose, we have to eradicate them. Sanatanam is also like this." He later defended his stance on his official X account, arguing that Sanatan Dharma inherently divides people based on caste and religion, and that uprooting it means upholding human equality. The BJP accused him of calling for a “genocide" of Hindus. Multiple FIRs were registered across several states, and the Supreme Court later chastised him for his rhetoric. MARCH 2021: THE SASIKALA ‘FOOTWEAR’ REMARK During the assembly election campaign trail, Udhayanidhi drew sharp condemnation for a derogatory remark targeting ousted AIADMK leader V.K. Sasikala. He alleged that former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami had to hold onto Sasikala’s footwear to secure his political survival.
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