Former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai's recent interventions on the NEET-UG retest and crimes involving migrant workers from north Indian states have triggered pushback from BJP leaders. It has also drawn a public rebuke from senior commentator S Gurumurthy.
On June 16, Annamalai questioned the elaborate security arrangements put in place for the June 21 NEET-UG re-examination, arguing that the measures risked adding to students' stress rather than addressing concerns arising from the paper leak controversy.
Annamalai took a swipe at the Union government’s arrangements, which include CRPF and CISF escorts for question papers, Indian Air Force airlift support, AI-enabled CCTV surveillance, biometric and facial recognition checks, multiple layers of frisking and monitoring by the Prime Minister's Office.
"Yes, you read it right. But these are not arrangements to buy high-level, classified, military-grade software. These are the arrangements made by the Ministry of Education for the NEET retest scheduled for 21st June 2026," Annamalai said.
He said students would welcome efforts to prevent paper leaks but argued that "an increase in scrutiny before entry, extended frisking, and an increase in the overall exam time from 180 minutes to 195 minutes will only add to their already ballooning exam pressure."
The remarks drew a sharp response from BJP leaders. Vinoj P Selvam defended the measures, saying stringent security protocols were necessary to ensure a leak-free examination and restore public confidence in the system. Comparing the arrangements with China's highly competitive Gaokao examination, he said, "Students deserve confidence in the system, not political fearmongering every time standards are enforced."
The NEET remarks came a day after Annamalai stirred another controversy by claiming there had been a "noticeable increase" in the involvement of people from north Indian states in crimes reported across Tamil Nadu and calling for stricter monitoring of migrant workers entering the state.
Annamalai cited the recent sexual assault and death of a three-year-old girl in Tiruvallur district, in which a migrant worker from Bihar was arrested, along with several other criminal cases involving individuals from northern states.
"Over the past few months, there has been a noticeable increase in the involvement of individuals from north Indian states in crimes occurring across various parts of Tamil Nadu," he said.
While urging the Tamil Nadu government to create a comprehensive database of migrant workers, Annamalai's repeated references to "north Indian states" drew criticism from Gurumurthy, who asked if the former BJP leader was adopting a political narrative associated with Dravidian parties.
In a post on X, Gurumurthy said, "I had always viewed Annamalai positively in BJP and even after he left. But this narrative against northern states is unacceptable. Is it a slip from or step to another Dravidian movement, future alone can tell."
Gurumurthy's intervention is significant as he has long been regarded as sympathetic to Annamalai and his leadership in the Tamil Nadu BJP. His criticism comes amid increasing scrutiny of Annamalai's political positioning since he quit the BJP earlier this month and announced plans to launch a new political movement.
