Chennai, June 2( IANS)
Rumblings and dissent have commenced in Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP against the style of functioning of party state president, K. Annamalai.
Several senior leaders of the party and their supporters are antagonised against the state president shouting at seniors at the drop of a hat. Many leaders feel that Annamalai being a former IPS officer is trying to implement police culture in the saffron party of the state.
A senior BJP leader who has slogged in the state unit of the party for the past several years in a hostile state like Tamil Nadu where Dravidian politics is ruling the roost told BPNS that with this style of functioning by the state president, the party will not go far.
He said that in Tamil Nadu unit of the party there were several senior leaders who have been ardently toeing the party line and antagonising such leaders would spell doom for the party in state. Speaking to BPNS, a former state office bearer of BJP said, “ A political party cannot be cleaned and made functional by a single individual who doesn’t have any political background. Energy and drive are one thing and delivering is another matter. It has to be seen how he will exhibit the politics of inclusion within the party.”
With the state president in the good books of the big two in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, his position in the party are safe. However, in Tamil politics, caste equations are important and grass-root knowledge of society and social and caste groups have to properly manage for the party to stride forward. Being a rookie in politics, it has to be seen as to how the former IPS officer turned politician will stick to new coalitions in the Loksabha polls of 2024 taking into confidence local party leaders who are sulking at his style of functioning.
However, a leader close to Annamalai while speaking to BPNS said, “ Annamalai is a person who wants people to execute the work assigned to him, and if the person doesn’t deliver he will be tough with them. This has to accept as for a party like BJP to grow in Tamil Nadu several out-of-the-box strategies have to work out for a win “.
With many senior leaders from all parts of Tamil Nadu complaining against the state president, RSS state leadership will intervene in the matter and it has to be seen how successful will this intervention be.
