Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai has quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying that he was not able to see development opportunities due to his quarrels with the leaders of the party. Resigning from the post, he will have to contend with the party’s poor show in Assembly polls held in the State last year and resolving differences about the party’s alliance with AIADMK. Now, Annamalai has begun to organise a new regional political outfit in the state, sources added.
As reports show, Annamalai formally tendered his resignation to Nitin Nabin, the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and delivered a report to them outlining the reasons for their poor win-loss record in the elections. Sources said that he had what they termed a “betrayal” when he was ousted as the state BJP president to make way for the AIADMK alliance.
The BJP’s move to revive the alliance with the AIADMK before the Assembly elections, which is said to caused a rift between Annamalai and the party leadership, was in the works even before the elections. He had been emphatic in pushing for an independent political trajectory of the BJP in Tamil Nadu and his vision of an alliance casts doubt on its long-term sustainability in the state.
His resignation has reportedly caused confusion amongst the BJP workers and supporters. There are concerns voiced by several youth leaders and grassroot representatives about the direction the party will take. Political experts feel that his departure may result in defection from Bharatiya Janata Party with particular focus on party leaders who had close interaction with him.
Prior to formally joining the electoral arena in a new party, Annamalai is ‘staging’ a movement to boost his image among the masses. It seems he is going to extend his membership of volunteers by creating an organization called “We The Leaders,” created by him as a non-profit.
It is said that his opinion is that a regional political platform has a better chance to address local issues in Tamilnadu where state based politics stood dominant.