Annamalai gives TVK government a year, hints at launching political movement

Chennai, August 18

We The Leaders president and former Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai on Tuesday said his organisation would give the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government a one-year grace period to demonstrate its performance before critically examining its administration.

Addressing an environmental awareness rally near Rajarathinam Stadium in Egmore, Annamalai said the organisation would be the first to expose the government’s mistakes after the period. Arulselvi, wife of late actor Vivekh, and several volunteers participated in the rally.

Annamalai said August was being observed as “Environment Month”, with We The Leaders setting a target of planting 20 lakh saplings across Tamil Nadu. He urged residents to participate actively in the campaign and contribute to environmental conservation.

Highlighting the organisation’s work, he said volunteers had started cleaning the Thamirabarani, Vaigai and Cauvery rivers. They had also cleaned a 175-km coastal stretch between Kanniyakumari and Thoothukudi during the past four weeks.

According to him, more than 1,400 environmental programmes had been conducted across the State in 16 days, resulting in the collection of nearly 1.6 lakh kg of plastic waste.

Annamalai expressed concern over sanitation workers collecting waste without adequate protective equipment. He said pollution in the Vaigai was so severe that volunteers experienced breathing difficulties while removing garbage from the river.

Turning to the organisation’s political ambitions, Annamalai said We The Leaders had enrolled 20 lakh volunteers within 73 days and was working towards a membership target of 50 lakh. Once that target was achieved, the organisation would evolve into a political force committed to people-centric governance, he added.

Calling for decentralised leadership, he said Tamil Nadu’s future should be shaped by leaders emerging from its villages and towns, rather than by a small group operating from established centres of political power.

He also warned that Tamil Nadu annually extracted 73 per cent of its available groundwater and stressed the urgent need to restore lakes and ponds to prevent drought.