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Former Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president K Annamalai on Sunday, July 12, asserted that his political movement We the Leaders (WTL) was not the BJP’s B-team. He reiterated that it would eventually become a political party and said it was working towards bringing about a change in government in the 2031 Assembly elections.
Speaking at the first state conference of WTL in Pollachi, organised around the theme of a "Drug-free Tamil Nadu", Annamalai rejected allegations made by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) that his new movement was functioning as the BJP's B-team.
"I had anger when I left the BJP, but it had to be expressed responsibly. Even though some called us the BJP's B-team, I believed I should not speak ill of the party while leaving it," he said.
Annamalai said the movement would enter electoral politics only when it had built a strong organisational base.
"When we have the right number of members and the right leaders, this organisation will become a political party. WTL will stand before the people of Tamil Nadu as a healthy political party in 2031," he said.
Annamalai claimed that young voters would play a decisive role in the next Assembly elections, just as they had in the 2026 polls.
"People below the age of 40 viewed society differently and brought about a change in government in 2026. They will bring another change in government in 2031," he said.
According to Annamalai, around 19 lakh people have joined WTL since its launch on June 5. He said 54% of the members are below the age of 40, while women account for 17% of the membership.
He added that the movement had not actively invited people to join and that reaching 50 lakh members would indicate that people across Tamil Nadu had accepted the movement.
He also announced that the organisation plans to train 1.5 lakh people through the APJ Abdul Kalam Centre for Ethics and Politics in Coimbatore by October 2027 and unveiled a trade union wing named En Mann, En Makkal.
Although Annamalai projected WTL as an alternative political force, he took a conciliatory tone towards the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government, saying the conference was not organised to attack any political party or leader.
"Some people asked me to criticise the TVK government. The government came to power with the support of 1.68 crore people. Most of its MLAs are first-time legislators and they may stumble. When they stumble, we should help them stand up, not push them down," he said.
Annamalai also welcomed the Tamil Nadu government's decision to lift the registration ban on over 3,000 acres of temple inam land in Karur, saying he supported the move despite being criticised as "anti-Hindu."
Speaking about religion and identity, Annamalai said he remained a proud Hindu and nationalist but argued that religion should not be projected in public life at every instance.
"I am a Hindu, but when I step out, I lock my caste and religion inside my house. There is no need to highlight and display religion every time. A true Hindu treats everyone equally and does not consider one person superior to another," he said.
He said WTL would observe July every year as an anti-drug awareness month and August as an environment month, with a target of planting 50 lakh saplings and cleaning more than 2,000 lakes and ponds across Tamil Nadu.
Annamalai also said that the movement plans to focus on women's safety and children's welfare in the coming months.