Chennai, 16 August (H.S.): Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin has accused the Tamil Nadu government of following a policy of arresting people for staging protests or expressing their views on social media.

Addressing a meeting of the party's Northern Zone Lawyers' Wing at Anna Arivalayam in Chennai, Udhayanidhi described the administration as fascist and alleged that arrests were being planned to intimidate political opponents.

The government arrests people if they stand in protest and arrests them if they post their opinions on social media. It appears to prepare a daily schedule to decide who should be arrested, he said.

Referring to the recent police action against him, Udhayanidhi said he initially believed authorities wanted to arrest him over his speech during a protest in the Cauvery delta. He later learnt that the action was linked to his demand that the government secure Tamil Nadu's rightful share of Cauvery water.

Udhayanidhi said he immediately contacted the party's legal team, which moved swiftly to challenge the police action in court. He claimed the authorities subsequently described their visit as an attempt to question him rather than arrest him.

The opposition leader said he treated the episode as a comedy and accused the government of carrying out a political drama. He also alleged that the administration lacked coordination, with ministers frequently responding to questions concerning departments outside their portfolios.

Udhayanidhi said the police took him from Chennai to Thanjavur using public money, effectively giving him a roadshow. He added that the attempt to arrest him had energised party workers who had become tired after the Assembly election.

We should thank this government for helping our cadres regain their old fighting spirit, he said.

The meeting was chaired by party legal secretary N.R. Elango and attended by lawyers and senior functionaries from northern districts.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman