Tamil Nadu BJP rejected speculations regarding former state BJP chief K Annamalai’s new political outfit. He claimed that his independent party does not have Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s blessings.
“Annamalai does not have blessings of Modi or Amit Shah”
Dismissing the claims, Tamil Nadu BJP President Nainar Nagendran said, “Annamalai does not have the blessings of Modi or Amit Shah to start his own political movement, as claimed by many,” while adding that nobody who left the BJP has succeeded on their own. “My request to BJP cadre is not to believe such claims and leave the party. There is no setback to the BJP. This is the world’s biggest party,” he said.
After Annamalai’s exit, two senior leaders also quit the saffron party: State vice-president Karu Nagarajan and state secretary Sumathi Venkatesh. On Annamalai’s resignation, Nagendran had said that the move would have no impact on the BJP and that anyone is free to launch their own political party in a democracy. “There will be no loss to the BJP because of his resignation. There will be no setback to the BJP, which is the biggest party in the world. The party will remain steadfast in its ideology,” he said.
Who is Annamalai?
Annamalai, an ex-IPS officer who had significantly boosted BJP’s public visibility in Tamil Nadu during his term of office as state president, said Friday that he had “quit the BJP in a dignified manner to usher in a new kind of politics”. He was associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party for around six years.
“The goals are bigger, and more people have to be taken along. From today onwards, there will be a new path, a new movement, a new political force,” Annamalai said, asserting that his new outfit would contest the next state Assembly elections. Before announcing his decision to exit and launching his new political party, he had met senior party leaders, including Amit Shah, in Delhi.
Past controversies linked to Annamalai
Annamalai gained prominence for his aggressive political style. He had consistently targeted the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and released what he described as the “DMK Files”, accusing the ruling party of corruption. However, he also stirred controversy after the AIADMK strongly objected to his strong remarks against late former CM J Jayalalithaa over her conviction in a corruption case.
According to reports, he also sparked a row by alleging that CN Annadurai, the Dravidian stalwart, had insulted Hinduism during a Madurai event in 1956. The tensions eventually led the AIADMK to break ties with the saffron party in 2023 ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Following the revival of the alliance, Nainar Nagendran was appointed Tamil Nadu BJP chief in 2025, replacing Annamalai.
After Annamalai quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and floated a new political move, several key observers argued that it could function as a proxy for the saffron party, which has struggled to establish a strong electoral presence in Tamil Nadu on its own. Many also alleged that Annamalai continued to enjoy BJP’s support and may align with the party in the future if his new venture gains popularity in the state.
