Chennai: Hitting the DMK where it hurts, Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai took on the ruling dispensation on dynastic succession in the party. Trying his hands at ushering in a new narrative for the party to expand its footprint, he has revived the debate once again. At a time when Chief Minister MK Stalin's son and legislator, Udhayanidhi, is accorded more prominence in the party and the government, the former IPS officer appears to be positioning himself as a counter to the DMK's crown prince. “Some friends in the media expect that I should drive down in a Range Rover and that my address should be Gopalapuram (residence of late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi). But, God has given me Thoppampatti village as my address and I am proud of that,” Annamalai told the media here after taking charge.
On being ridiculed in social media as 'Goat Annamalai' for rearing sheep, a family profession along with farming, he asked why he should be ashamed of it. “I'm proud of this identity as it is an honour and not to be ashamed of. Come to our place, our community is still engaged in that. We have studied and come up to this level because of that,” the ex-cop said, underscoring that it was real social justice and empowerment in the saffron party. To buttress this point, he cited the example of his predecessor and present Union Minister L Murugan, who too rose to great heights from a very humble background.
After dynastic politics, it was the Tamil political space that he stepped into. “I am targeted for mentioning in my twitter-bio as a Kannadiga as well along with being a proud Tamil and an Indian. I don't want to get entangled in the DMK's narrative and emotional politics. We will not get trapped by the DMK's scheming plots. Till my last breath, I will work for the betterment of Tamils and Tamil Nadu," he asserted. “During my stint in the police force, I was posted in Chikmagalur and Bengaluru South, which have a high concentration of Tamils. The Tamils in Chikmagalur had settled there nearly four decades ago. They had come there during dam construction,” he further explained adding, “In word and deed, I will stand for Tamils and Tamil Nadu.”
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Asked about his as well as the BJP's stand on Karnataka's plan to build a reservoir at Mekedatu across the river Cauvery, he said “We oppose the project as it would deprive Tamil Nadu of its legitimate share of the Cauvery waters, especially during the drought season. Tamil Nadu is entitled to its share apportioned by the Supreme Court and not a drop less. The reason that the new dam, with a capacity of 69 TMC, is for drinking water for Bengaluru does not hold water as the SC had already earmarked 4.5 TMC for this purpose. Though the BJP is in power in Karnataka, we oppose the project.” This Is the first time that the BJP had made a categorical stand on the dispute between the two neighbours. However, BJP's All India general secretary CT Ravi, who was present, said the issue would be resolved in such a manner that it will be a win-win situation for both the states.
Answering questions on the divide in the party over 'Kongu Nadu', a separate state for the Western districts, he maintained that it was not the party's stand. “We have sought an explanation from the Coimbatore (North) district unit for passing a resolution to press for bifurcation of the state. While he tried to explain away the mention of Kongu Nadu in Murugan's profile, the Union Minister explained it away as a 'clerical error' and Annamalai requested not to make a mountain out of a molehill.
On the controversy over his remark on controlling the media, he said it has been misconstrued since what he had said was regulating the mushrooming of digital platforms which have no editorial checks and balances. Inducted into the party in August 2020 as vice-president, at 37, he is the youngest to become the State Unit chief with a clear plan for the future. Known for his aggression, the former cop seems to have set his sight very high, forcing the political establishment to take note.
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