Former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai may have joined the saffron party only because Tamil superstar Rajinikanth did not launch a political outfit, Congress MP Karthi Chidambaram said on Friday.
Annamalai resigned from the BJP earlier this week and announced his “Against Communal Politics” political movement on Friday, which he said would eventually transform into a political party and contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the state.
Calling it a “brave move”, Karthi Chidambaram said the former IPS officer “realized” that the BJP had “very limited acceptance” in Tamil Nadu.
“Look, this is something that has been on the horizon for a long time. Annamalai has realized something that I have always known – that the BJP has very limited appeal and acceptance in Tamil Nadu. If someone wants to get ahead in politics, the BJP is not the vehicle. It has taken five-six years for Annamalai to realize this… It is a brave move; I wish him luck,” Chidambaram told ANI.
The Congress MP said that K Annamalai may have joined the BJP only because Rajinikanth did not form a political party.
“I think he joined the BJP only because Mr. Rajinikanth did not form a party, and Mr. Annamalai does not come from the Sangh Parivar – he is not from the RSS, and he is not an ideologue in the Hindutva sense. He was just a side participant in the party, and after five years, he realized that this party had no future in Tamil Nadu, and he himself had very little success within the party,” he said.
Annamalai New Political Movement
K Annamalai announced a new political movement that would later evolve into a party contesting the upcoming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, within five years. He said that the southern state wants change and stressed that his party is capable of achieving it.
Listing his reasons for quitting the BJP, Annamalai said that he had informed the leadership of his decision in December last year, but was asked to wait till the Assembly elections in April-May 2026 were over.
“It has been a big struggle whether you are a BJP member or a Tamil. I told the party on December 4, 2025 that I will resign. The party asked me to finish the elections and then leave,” Annamalai said, according to news agency ANI.
Annamalai’s connection with his Tamil roots is also emphasized in the book He sent his resignation letter to the BJP leadership on June 2. He also confirmed that he had expressed his “differences” with the leadership over the past 18 months and said he did not believe his views aligned with the party anymore.
The former policeman, popularly known as ‘Singham’, pointed out that the people of Tamil Nadu always seek change, which sometimes arrives, but never stops.
“National parties have never spoken the language that people in Tamil Nadu understand. They have tried to change this belief and have also achieved reasonable success despite multiple hurdles, barriers and obstructions from within and without,” Annamalai said.
Kuppusamy Annamalai became a big icon for the BJP in Tamil Nadu after being fielded as a candidate in the 2021 elections. Despite losing in the elections, he was appointed as the president of the Tamil Nadu BJP and held the position for three years before stepping down and being replaced by Nainar Nagendran. One of his major controversies was the BJP allying itself with the AIADMK and essentially playing a secondary role.
