The Chennai Police detained BJP leaders Pon Radhakrishnan, La Ganesan, CP Radhakrishnan and H Raja for sitting on a dharna on Marina Beach on Wednesday.
Tamil Nadu BJP, on Tuesday, had announced a dharna protest near the Gandhi Statue on Marina Beach if the police do not arrest Tamil orator Nellai Kannan by Tuesday night. On Wednesday, BJP workers from Tamil Nadu including leaders H Raja, former Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan, former State President of BJP CP Radhakrishnan and BJP National Council Member La Ganesan reached Marina Beach around 4.15 pm and sat in dharna in front of the Gandhi statue, demanding that the police arrest Nellai Kannan immediately for his comments on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Sitting on a dharna, the group raised slogans urging the police to arrest Nellai Kannan immediately. As the group continued sloganeering, the police detained the four main leaders of the state’s BJP unit and took them away to a wedding hall in Mylapore.
Nellai Kannan was booked by the Tirunelveli city police on Tuesday for his speech on Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah in a Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) rally in the city on Sunday. The video of the speech, which went viral on Monday, triggered massive outrage on social media with people demanding the arrest of the orator.
He was booked under sections 504 [Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace], 505(1)(b) [with intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the State or against the public tranquility], and 505 (2) [statements which create or promote enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes] of the IPC based on a complaint from the BJP District President Daya Shankar
In the videos that went viral, Nellai Kannan is seen saying, “There is one guy called Amit Shah. (Modi) is the Prime Minister but (Amit Shah) is his brains. If Amit Shah is finished off then Modi is finished too. Leave that be to one side.” Looking around at the mostly Muslim dignitaries on the dais, he then goes to say, “But none of you are finishing it. Let that be to one side. I keep thinking you all will do something.”
Meanwhile, Nellai Kannan was admitted to a private hospital in Chennai on Tuesday after he complained of health issues.