In the midst of a political slugfest between the BJP and DMK over the arrest of Tamil Nadu Minister Senthil Balaji in the money laundering case, the Tamil Nadu police have apprehended the BJP state secretary during the night hours on Saturday. The arrest of the BJP leader has sparked a new chapter of tussle between the saffron party and the state ruling DMK. 

Tamil Nadu BJP state secretary SG Suryah was arrested by the Madurai district cybercrime police in Chennai on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. According to our sources, Suryah was arrested by the cybercrime police in connection with his recent tweet about Madurai MP Su Venkatesan. Suryah has close ties with Tamil Nadu BJP chief Annamalai and the latter has slammed the state government and alleged that Chief Minister MK Stalin is turning the state into a lawless jungle. 

Recently, SG Suryah staunchly criticized CPI Councillor Viswanathan after a sanitation worker had died on duty in Madurai. Stating that the worker had died due to an allergic reaction after getting exposed to water containing feces, the BJP leader had shared his statement on Twitter in which he had also slammed Madurai MP and CPI leader Su Venkatesan for maintaining silence over the incident. 

In connected with his tweet, a defamation case was lodged against him and the Madurai cybercrime police have arrested SG Suryah from Chennai. After learning about his arrest, a group of Tamil Nadu BJP functionaries have gathered before the Chennai Police Commissioner's office and held a protest for arresting the BJP leader. Condemning the arrest, Annamalai has said that Chief Minister MK Stalin is turning the state into a lawless jungle. 

Taking to Twitter, Annamalai wrote, "The arrest of BJP TamilNadu State Secretary Thiru SG Suryah is highly condemnable. His only mistake was to expose the nasty double standards of the communists, allies 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 MK Stalin is turning the state into a lawless jungle. These arrests will not deter us & we will continue to be bearers of the uncomfortable truth!"