Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagendran said on Saturday (June 6) that the party’s central leadership refuses to support or endorse any newly formed political movements or organisations. The statement comes a day after former state BJP president K Annamalai resigned from the party and formed a new movement called ‘We the Leaders’.
Nagendran refused to acknowledge any coercion the party was subjected to due to Annamalai’s exit and urged people not to believe rumours, news agency PTI reported.
Read also me Annamalai quits the BJP after the Tamil Nadu elections, to start his own party
Nagendran on Annamalai’s exit
Nagendran rejected the allegations of setback to the party due to Annamalai’s exit, and reiterated that the party accepted his resignation in accordance with the procedures of the national leadership.
“The BJP is not a personality-driven party but a strong policy-based organisation. Annamalai’s resignation will not cause any loss or setback to the Tamil Nadu BJP,” he added.
He promoted the right of people to start their own movements or political parties in a democratic country like India, but claimed that Annamalai did not consult the leadership of the country before taking the decision to start his own movement.
Also read ‘Whether you are a BJP person or a Tamil…’: Annamalai explains ‘big struggle’ behind his exit, announces new party
In addition, he urged party workers to refrain from being brainwashed by rumours, urging them to continue their work without further frustration.
Why did Annamalai leave?
Annamalai tendered his resignation from the party earlier this week over allegations of a difference of opinion over the future of the state. “I had a difference of opinion. I expressed it to the BJP leaders for 18 months,” he revealed at a press conference held at the time.
“I told the party on December 4, 2025 that I would resign, and they should not think that I made the decision hastily. The party asked me to wait until the end of the elections and then leave. As a true cadre, I finished my electoral work to the end.”
He announced a new political party hours after BJP national president Nitin Nabin accepted his resignation from the party’s primary membership. “Today, we will start a movement. Our political party will contest the upcoming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. 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 revealed.
Also read: Annamalai joined BJP because Rajinikanth did not form a party: Congress leader
Speculations about Annamalai’s resignation have been rife since the party’s huge loss in the state assembly elections where they managed to get only 3 per cent vote share while contesting 27 seats in alliance with the AIADMK.
“Look, this is something that has been on the horizon for a long time. Annamalai has realized something that I always knew, which is that the BJP has very limited buy-in and buy-in in Tamil Nadu. If someone wants to get ahead in politics, the BJP is not the vehicle,” Congress leader Karti P Chidambaram said, ANI reported.
“It took Annamalai five to six years to realize that… It is a brave move; I wish him well… 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 has no future in Tamil Nadu, and he himself has had very little success within the party,” he said.
Annamalai has filed for the first time as a BJP candidate in the 2021 elections. He is now expected to contest the next Lok Sabha elections in the state in five years with his party.
