CHENNAI: Around 150 BJP workers including the party’s senior leaders H Raja, Pon Radhakrishnan, L Ganesan and CP Radhakrishnan on Wednesday were detained after they courted arrest near Mahatma Gandhi statue at Marina beach when they staged a dharna demanding immediate arrest of Nellai Kannan, the orator from Tirunelveli, for his remarks against the PM and Home Minister.
The BJP men shouted slogans for about 10 minutes urging the state police to arrest Kannan for his "objectionable remarks" against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah a few days ago, while attending a public meeting organised by SDPI protesting the Citizenship Amendment Act.
Raja told reporters that the party would announce the next course of agitation on Thursday evening. Raja and others who had courted arrest are kept at a wedding hall and are likely to released soon.
Police said they had not granted permission for anyone to hold a protest on or around Marina beach.
Nellai Kannan, who was admitted to a hospital in Tirunelveli was moved to Madurai on Tuesday. However, on Wednesday, his whereabouts are not known.
Kannan landed in trouble after a video of his purported speech at a meeting against CAA held by the Social Democratic Party of India on Saturday at Tirunelveli went viral on social media and the BJP lodged a police complaint seeking his arrest and prosecution.
Kannan is a Tamil litterateur and has taken part in several television shows based on literature and oratory.
State BJP spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathi on Monday lodged a police complaint, alleging that Kannan called out the names of Prime Minister and Home Minister at the meeting and told the gathering he was "shocked as to why Muslims have not yet killed the Prime Minister and Home Minister."
(With PTI inputs)