In yet another setback to the Tamil Nadu unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 13 office-bearers associated with the state IT cell in Chennai West quit the party on Wednesday, March 8. The move comes within a week of former BJP state IT cell chief CTR Nirmal Kumar and secretary Dilip Kannan also leaving the party. While Nirmal Kumar did not name anyone in his scathing resignation letter, he alleged that the party leadership in Tamil Nadu was functioning against the interests of its cadres. Dilip Kannan named state party president K Annamalai as the reason for his resignation.
The latest set of resignations include that of the party's Chennai West district IT unit chief Orathi Anbarasu, as well as 10 secretaries and 2 vice-presidents of the unit. All 13 functionaries are likely to join the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), following the footsteps of Nirmal Kumar and Dilip.
After leaving the party, Anbarasu said, "An unusual situation has prevailed in the party so far and for the past few days, many people have been contacting me. Now I have to inform everyone about my situation. I have travelled with the BJP for many years. Everyone around me knows that party responsibility is only for a few years, and I am not a person looking for a position. I hope you all know my work. It amazes me how I have faced threats and complaints against me for so long." He also said that he was not joining the DMK and that he did not want to “fall into the machinations of selfish people” who had classified him as “unworthy.”
"Respecting the thoughts of my dear brothers who are working with me in the party. It has been decided to travel along with our beloved CTR Nirmal Kumar," he added.
BJP Tamil Nadu chief Annamalai had recently claimed that the BJP can also poach people from AIADMK. He said that AIADMK taking BJP leaders into its fold is a sign that the party was growing in Tamil Nadu. The resignation of 13 more leaders from the BJP is a jolt to the saffron party, even as the national leadership has commenced firefighting operations with party president JP Nadda and general secretary in charge of Tamil Nadu CT Ravi commencing discussions with AIADMK's interim general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami.