Former Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai appears to have made a strong political statement just a day after parting ways with the BJP.
Annamalai claimed that nearly 14 lakh people joined his newly launched political movement within 24 hours of its launch.
Annamalai, who officially resigned from the BJP on June 5, announced a new political platform aimed at promoting what he called “people-centric politics” based on ideological clarity and public participation. His resignation was later accepted by BJP president Nitin Nabin.
In his resignation letter, Annamalai cited long-standing differences with the party leadership over the future political direction of Tamil Nadu.
He said the differences in views had become more visible over the past 18 months and that he no longer wished to burden the leadership with his concerns.
The former IPS officer had joined the BJP in 2020 after quitting the civil services. He rose quickly in the party and became the Tamil Nadu BJP president within a year.
Presenting his new initiative as the next phase of his public and political journey, Annamalai called upon youth and ordinary citizens to join hands in building an alternative political culture.
He said the movement would fight dynastic politics and the dominance of “permanent” legislators, while creating space for new leaders to emerge.
The movement’s website, titled We The Leaders, reportedly showed more than 13.85 lakh active members at the time of writing.
The platform describes volunteers as the driving force behind grassroots change in areas such as education, health, environment and youth leadership.
Annamalai also confirmed that the movement plans to contest future Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu. He promised a political model driven by common citizens rather than traditional power structures.
