Chennai: Former BJP Tamil Nadu state president K Annamalai will not withdraw his resignation from the party despite senior national leaders asking him to reconsider his decision, sources close to him told TOI. He is expected to meet reporters on Friday to spell out his plans.
Annamalai's Delhi Meetings
Since Monday, Annamalai has been in Delhi, where he met BJP national president Nitin Nabin and submitted his resignation. Later, he called on party general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh and Union minister Amit Shah. Sources said the leaders tried to prevail on Annamalai that he had a bright future in the BJP, but he remained firm on his decision.
A Well Thought-Out Decision
His is not an overnight decision; it was a well thought-out one, said a source close to the former IPS officer who had been internally arguing against the BJP's alliance with the AIADMK in the recent assembly election. For the past 18 months, he has been struggling to convince the leadership that the BJP should chart its own course in Tamil Nadu, but the national leadership was not listening. He took the decision to leave the party and launch one of his own more than three months ago, the source added.
State President Called to Delhi
It was a relatively quiet day for BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran, who was called to Delhi following Annamalai's resignation. He had a short meeting with Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday afternoon but could not meet the top leaders since Amit Shah had left for Tripura and Nabin was away in Bihar. Annamalai is expected to fly back from Delhi on Thursday, which happens to be his 42nd birthday.
Leaders Offered Freer Hand
BJP sources in Delhi said the leaders offered him a freer hand in Tamil Nadu if he chose to stay back. He is believed to have spoken in detail about his points of difference with seniors in the state unit who have complained about the unilateral approach of the former IPS officer who joined the party six years ago.
Criticism of DMK and AIADMK
A staunch critic of the DMK and AIADMK, Annamalai felt sidelined in the BJP after he was pushed to step down as the state president in April last year as the BJP revived its ties with the AIADMK after the party drew a blank in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Annamalai argued that though it did not win a seat, the party's vote share had gone up from 3% in 2021 (when it was in alliance with the AIADMK) to 11% in 2024 when it contested in the company of the PMK, TMC, and AMMK.
