It has been reported that former chief of the Bharatiya Janata Party of Tamil Nadu, K Annamalai, will be starting his own political organisation in the near future owing to a number of proposals offered to him by the BJP's Central leaders, who had to hear him say no to all their offers. This has occurred following an interaction between Annamalai and BJP national secretary BL Santhosh along with party president Nitin Nabin.
The available sources suggest that Annamalai has made up his mind against joining any role proposed by the BJP. He will even not entertain the possibility of any position, no matter whether it is that of a central minister or becoming part of the Rajya Sabha, for this party. Not only will he not join any existing political party in Tamil Nadu, but also avoid joining Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). The recently taken step by the BJP in aligning itself with the AIADMK, along with growing apprehensions about how BJP has been viewed in the recent past, does not run counter to the Dravidian politics might have had a lot to do with his decision.
Even though Annamalai has not spoken publicly on this issue, such a step can mean a lot in the political scenario of Tamil Nadu. The rumours gained momentum on Monday after posters featuring Annamalai's photograph and the slogan, "Fearless minds have no limits", appeared across Coimbatore, prompting questions about his imminent political launch. Speculation has been further fuelled by his absence from two recent state central committee meetings, alongside reports from his supporters that his welfare outfit, Annamalai Anbu Koottam, has aggressively begun enrolling new members and appointing local office-bearers.
This apparent break follows clear signs of friction between Annamalai and the central leadership over the three-language policy. The week before last, he had even made a public appeal to the Education Ministry of the Union Government to scrap a notification making it mandatory for Class 9 students to learn three languages, contending that while it was the Centre’s intention to enforce this regulation from the academic year 2029–30, it was premature to implement the same immediately. This is just one example of many; relations between Annamalai and the AIADMK had reportedly become so sour ahead of the previous assembly elections that he was stripped of his role as state chief due to his derogatory comments about Dravidian legends CN Annadurai and J Jayalalithaa.
Also read: Annamalai likely to quit BJP, plans political movement
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