Annamalai, who resigned from the BJP on Friday, attributed his departure from the party to differences in views on Tamil Nadu.
In his resignation letter addressed to BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Annamalai said he joined the BJP six years ago, seeking to bring positive change in Tamil Nadu and improve how politics is conducted in the state.
“More importantly, I wanted to change the idea that politics is a path only for the elite and a select few, and not for the common man. I am extremely grateful to the BJP leadership for trusting a very young and raw man with great responsibility and leadership positions,” he wrote in the letter obtained by the BJP.
“The people of the state were tired of the public political discourse of many decades and were yearning for change. Change came at multiple points in the last decade, but they were unable to stick and soon faded from people’s memories,” he said.
Read also: Annamalai quits the BJP after the Tamil Nadu elections, to start his own party
Annamalai said that the national parties had never spoken the language that people in Tamil Nadu understood and he tried to change this belief and achieved “reasonable success” despite the multiple roadblocks it faced from home and abroad (BJP).
Expressing his gratitude to the BJP leadership, Annamalai said: “I would like to recall the multiple conversations with the top leadership and the differences expressed over the last 18 months.”
“I do not want to burden the high command further with my constant thoughts on the way forward for a growth-oriented and culturally rooted policy in Tamil Nadu. After my conversations with our high command, I have come to the conclusion that our views do not align with regard to Tamil Nadu,” he said in the letter.
He noted that it is time for him to exit the party and think about the actual goal of entering politics and sailing wherever the winds take him in the future.
“I humbly request to be relieved of my organizational responsibilities with immediate effect and to accept my resignation from the primary membership of the BJP with immediate effect,” Annamalai, who turned 42 on Thursday, said.
“As a nationalist deeply rooted in regional aspirations, I take great pride in the richness of my language, the diversity of my culture and the unique heritage of my region. I firmly believe that a strong and united India is built on the strength, dignity and aspirations of its many regions and communities,” he said.
