annamalai-meets-tamilisai-praises-her-hard-work

Bharatiya Janata Party state president Annamalai visited former Governor and BJP candidate for South Chennai constituency, Tamilisai Soundararajan, at her residence in Saligramam on Friday and said her political experience is providing impetus for the party's growth.

After visiting Tamilisai Soundararajan, Annamalai expressed his happiness in a post on X, saying that he was extremely pleased to visit ‘Akka Tamilisai’, a senior leader who had served effectively as the party’s Tamil Nadu unit chief.

This meeting comes days after a social media clash between supporters of Soundararajan and the Saffron party’s state unit chief, following the Bharatiya Janata Party’s electoral defeat in Tamil Nadu.

Following the meeting, Annamalai posted a photo on social media, acknowledging Soundararajan's political experience. “Asserting that the lotus will surely bloom in Tamil Nadu, Tamilisai Soundararajan worked hard for it, her political experience and advice continues to provide inspiration for the development of the party,” Annamalai said in the post.

 

The internal discord intensified after Tamilisai Soundararajan, who lost in the South Chennai constituency, publicly criticised Annamalai’s faction.

 

Her alleged comments about “criminal elements” in the BJP and that “the party would have won had there been an alliance with the AIADMK” were among the triggering factors.

Her comments led to a backlash from Annamalai’s supporters on social media, further deepening the divide within the party.

Adding to the controversy, a video surfaced showing Amit Shah apparently reprimanding Tamilisai Soundararajan during the swearing-in ceremony of Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh.

 

Tamilisai later clarified that Shah's comments were advisory and not a reprimand.

In a post on X on Thursday evening, Soundararajan had said she met Shah for the first time following the declaration of Lok Sabha poll results and the duo was talking about “post-poll follow-up”.

“Yesterday as I met our Honorable Home Minister Sri @AmitShah ji in AP for the first time after the 2024 Elections he called me to ask about post poll followup and the challenges faced.

 

“As I was elaborating, due to paucity of time with utmost concern, he adviced to carry out the political and constituency work intensively which was reassuring. This is to clarify all unwarranted speculations,” she had said.