The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Friday, 3 July launched a fierce broadside against the Tamil Nadu government following the arrest of former state minister and party leader Anitha R. Radhakrishnan, accusing the ruling administration of deploying police machinery to silence the Opposition. The arrest came after the Madras High Court denied Radhakrishnan anticipatory bail in a case alleging he made defamatory remarks against Chief Minister Joseph C. Vijay.

Background to the Arrest

The case traces back to a public meeting held on 20 June in Authoor, Thoothukudi district, where Radhakrishnan allegedly mocked Vijay's transition from cinema to politics and questioned his conduct in the Assembly. After the High Court declined anticipatory bail, Radhakrishnan was taken into custody while reportedly conducting constituency inspection work — a detail his party was quick to highlight as evidence of political targeting.

What DMK Leaders Said

Former Chief Minister and DMK president M. K. Stalin alleged that the government was weaponising the police to suppress the Opposition. In a post on X, Stalin questioned the urgency of the arrest, saying: 'What was the urgency to arrest someone who was engaged in public service and conducting inspections in his constituency? The Chief Minister is running a police state in a cinematic action style!'

DMK leader and Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi also condemned the move, calling it an act of political intimidation. In her own post on X, she said: 'The arrest of Thiru. @ARROffice, former Minister and DMK Secretary of Thoothukudi South District, by the police of the tyrannical government is strongly condemnable. The opposition MLA, while engaged in inspection work in his constituency, has been arrested in an utterly anarchic manner by this tyrannical government. The DMK will never bow down to such oppressive tactics.'

DMK youth wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin also attacked the ruling TVK government on X, mockingly labelling it a '#SofaModel' and 'Reels' government, and accusing it of pursuing political vendetta over governance.

Selective Policing Allegations

Stalin and other DMK leaders went beyond the immediate arrest to level broader accusations of selective law enforcement. They alleged the government had failed to act with comparable urgency in cases involving a gang rape complaint against a TVK MLA and rising incidents of crimes against women across the state. The opposition framed the contrast as evidence of a double standard: swift action against political critics, inaction on serious criminal matters.

What This Signals for Tamil Nadu Politics

The episode marks a sharp escalation in the confrontation between the DMK — which governs at the Centre's ally level nationally — and the state's ruling TVK dispensation. Radhakrishnan, as DMK Secretary for Thoothukudi South, is a district-level heavyweight, and his arrest is likely to galvanise the party's grassroots. With the Madras High Court having already weighed in on bail, the legal proceedings will remain closely watched. The DMK's public posture — invoking 'police raj' and 'police state' language — suggests the party intends to contest this battle in the court of public opinion as vigorously as in the courts of law.