Dissent in TN BJP over state president's style of functioning

Chennai: Rumblings have commenced in Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP against the style of functioning of party state president K. Annamalai. Several senior leaders of the party and their supporters are antagonised with the state president raising his voice at seniors at the drop of a hat. Many leaders feel that being a former IPS officer Annamalai is trying to implement police culture in the saffron party of the state. A senior BJP leader, who has slogged in the state unit of the party for the past several years in a hostile state like Tamil Nadu where Dravidian politics is ruling the roost, told IANS that with this style of functioning by the state president, the party will not go far .

He said that in Tamil Nadu unit of the party, there were several senior leaders who have been ardently toeing the party line and antagonising such leaders would spell doom for the party in the state. Speaking to IANS, a former state office-bearer of BJP pointed out: "A political party cannot be cleaned and made functional by a single individual who don't have any political background. Energy and drive are one thing and delivering is another matter. It has to be seen how he will exhibit the politics of inclusion within the party."

With the state president in the good books of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home minister Amit Shah, his position in the party is safe. However, in Tamil politics, caste equations are important and grass root knowledge of society and social and caste groups have to be properly managed for the party to flourish. Being a rookie in politics, it has to be seen as to how the former IPS officer turned politician will stick new coalitions in the Loksabha polls of 2024 taking into confidence local party leaders who are sulking at his style of functioning.

However, a leader close to Annamalai IANS: " Annamalai is a person who want people to execute the work assigned to them and if they don't deliver, he gets tough on them. This has be to accepted as for a party like BJP to grow in Tamil Nadu several out of the box strategies have to be worked out for a win ".

With several senior leaders complaining against the state president, RSS state leadership will intervene in the matter and it has to be seen how successful will this intervention be.