Citing police officials, news agency ANI has reported that SG Surya, Tamil Nadu BJP state secretary, was arrested in Chennai on 16 June by the Madurai district cyber crime police. The arrest is related to his recent tweet about Madurai MP Su Venkatesan.

Expressing his condemnation, State BJP President K Annamalai took to Twitter and stated, "The arrest of @BJP4TamilNadu State Secretary Thiru @SuryahSG avl is highly condemnable. He was merely exposing the hypocritical double standards of the communist party, which is an ally of DMK."

"Using state machinery to curtail free speech & getting jittery for the slightest criticism is unbecoming of a democratically elected leader and, indeed, are signs of an autocratic leader in the making. Drawing inspiration from autocrats, TN CM Thiru@mkstalin is turning the state into a lawless jungle. These arrests will not deter us & we will continue to be bearers of the uncomfortable truth!" Annamalai tweeted.

Earlier, Tamil Nadu BJP State Secretary Suryah penned a scathing letter directed at Communist Party of India (CPI) Councilor Viswanathan. In the letter, Suryah highlighted an incident involving the tragic death of a sanitation worker named Pennadam Parishad in Madurai. The worker had allegedly been compelled to work in faecal water, leading to severe allergic reactions.

In his letter, Suryah strongly criticized Viswanathan for his hypocrisy in forcing the deceased sanitation worker into manual scavenging, despite being well aware that it is prohibited by law. Suryah attached the letter to a tweet on his Twitter handle.

In the same tweet, Suryah launched a scathing attack on Madurai MP Venkatesan for his silence on the matter. A rough translation of his Tamil tweet read, "Your false politics of separatism is more putrid than that cesspool. Find a way to live as a human being, mate!"

Suryah's arrest follows the remand of State Minister SenthilBalaji to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) until June 23. The remand was ordered by the Chennai Metropolitan Session Court in connection with an alleged money laundering case.

Image Source: ANI