In a significant development within the political landscape of Tamil Nadu, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), an alliance partner of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has passed a resolution on Tuesday, June 13, stating that K Annamalai, the BJP Tamil Nadu chief, lacks "political maturity." The resolution was adopted during a gathering of AIADMK district secretaries held in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
The strained relationship between AIADMK and the BJP has been evident in recent months, with the BJP chief openly criticising the AIADMK in various public forums. During a recent interview with the Times of India, Annamalai was questioned about his claims to expose corruption within all political parties, including the AIADMK. In response, he stated, "I am not taking any party names, but we will question any government that swindled the public exchequer." When asked about the period between 1991 and 1996, when J Jayalalithaa was the Chief Minister, he went on to describe it as one of the worst periods in terms of corruption, attributing Tamil Nadu's reputation as one of the most corrupt states to multiple administrations.
These remarks made by Annamalai drew strong backlash from AIADMK leaders. In a unanimous three-page resolution, the district secretaries of AIADMK pointed out the strong rapport between J Jayalalithaa and several BJP leaders, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani. They also mentioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jayalalithaa's residence and her crucial support for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in forming the government in 1998. The resolution criticised Annamalai for publicly discussing Jayalalithaa without displaying political maturity and labeled his behavior as "irresponsible."
The resolution further highlighted the fact that the BJP had not had a single representative in the Tamil Nadu Assembly for the past 20 years, and the party currently has four MLAs due to the support of Edappadi Palanisamy, the General Secretary of AIADMK.
Speaking to media, Edappadi Palanisamy strongly condemned Annamalai's remarks, stating that the BJP Tamil Nadu chief had made derogatory comments against Jayalalithaa with an "ulterior motive." He deemed Annamalai's statements unacceptable and expressed concern over the negative impact they had on AIADMK cadres.
“His statements are completely unacceptable and it has caused hurt to AIADMK cadres,” he said and added, “We strongly condemn Annamalai’s remarks.’”
Earlier, former Minister Jayakumar also criticised Annamalai, labeling him as a novice who lacked an understanding of Tamil Nadu's political history. Jayakumar emphasised that passing comments against an alliance partner instead of criticising the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) was unacceptable. He condemned Annamalai's actions and emphasised that AIADMK workers wished to see Prime Minister Narendra Modi re-elected in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. However, Annamalai's behaviour implied a lack of interest in continuing the alliance between AIADMK and BJP and ensuring Modi's return as Prime Minister, according to Jayakumar.