Annamalai backs CJP’s right to protest, BJP accuses him of SIR double standards

Former Tamil Nadu BJP state president K Annamalai strongly criticised the BJP-led Union government for how it has cracked down on the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) protest seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The IPS officer-turned-politician questioned the alleged illegal incarceration of CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who were jailed for unfurling the national flag at Jantar Mantar grounds, which was denotified as a protest site after the CJP announced its protest. 

In a post on X, Annamalai raised questions about the decision to denotify Jantar Mantar as a protest site, the use of police officers as Special Executive Magistrates in preventive proceedings, the rejection of sureties for detained CJP leaders, and the Delhi police use of pellet guns during protests. He also criticised the BJP government’s tendency to label protests against them as“anti-national” or “foreign-funded”. 

Annamalai, who has resigned from the party, said he did not necessarily agree with the CJP’s protest tactics, which he called “misguided”, but defended its right to protest and demand answers from the government. 

He also invoked a 2011 statement by Narendra Modi, then Gujarat chief minister, who had criticised the police crackdown on an anti-corruption protest in Delhi. Annamalai said Modi had been right to speak out at the time and questioned why similar scrutiny of the current government was now being met with attacks.

Annamalai also highlighted the online attacks against him for speaking out against the BJP. He thanked the party for it, saying that it helped to remove the tag of “BJP’s B team” or “Dhurandhar” of the BJP. 

“Ever since I asked the Union Government to speak with the protestors during the NEET exam protests, I have faced constant attacks, but I let them pass because I felt it was important to focus on the issues on the ground in Tamil Nadu. I also, in a way, enjoyed this as it would quickly remove the tag of me being a BJP B Team and sent to TN as a Dhurandhar.”

In a series of questions, Annamalai asked how Jantar Mantar was denotified as a protest site. How could an Assistant Commissioner of Police be empowered to keep someone in preventive detention? 

“The ACP of Delhi Police stands over the trial where Delhi Police is the complainant against the accused CJP. Now you know which way the wind will blow. On October 19th, why did the Special Executive Magistrate, aka ACP of Delhi Police, deliberately arrive late for the bail hearing of those who were arrested from Jantar Mantar on October 13th and recuse himself, saying there is a threat to his life? Is this some kind of a joke?” Annamalai questioned. He asked why eight sureties were rejected and why the person who came for surety was subjected to cross-examination by the Special Executive Magistrate. 

“Any action taken on pellet gun usage by the Delhi police or other actions on Delhi police who have violated the standard operating procedures against the protesters during the NEET fiasco stir?”

He asked if no BJP karyakarta in Delhi violated any bond conditions during the previous Congress and AAP governments. “I trust the same Delhi police were there then when barricades were jumped and orders disobeyed? How were they dealt with then? Like this?” 

Questioning the BJP’s decision to burn an effigy of a cockroach, he asked whether the BJP was opposing the CJP or giving it free publicity. “Does it want the opposition votes to split by making CJP a bigger player? At this rate, the CJP couldn’t have asked for a better PR team, even if it had paid for one!”

Annamalai, who is currently the founder of We the Leaders, said that the BJP should stop labelling the protests as “anti-national”. 

“... FCRA is controlled by MHA. All agencies don’t report to the opposition parties in the country. All the embassies outside are equipped with enough people to track any Indian national hand in glove with foreign enemies. It’s honestly very tiring and boring to see all protests and statements against the Union government being called anti-national and funded by forces outside.” 

He reminded that the BJP government had been in power in Delhi for over 12 years and still manufactured an enemy at all times to keep itself relevant. “Sadly, that’s a pity!” he wrote. 

Meanwhile, the BJP has accused Annamalai of changing his position on SIR since leaving the party. Tamil Nadu BJP spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy said Annamalai had previously defended the revision, argued that Tamil Nadu had many fake voters who should be removed, and criticised the DMK for opposing the exercise. Thirupathy also cited Annamalai’s May 2026 debate with Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, saying he had defended SIR as fair and necessary.