Union Home Minister Amit Shah has dismissed rumors regarding the removal of K Annamalai from his position as the Tamil Nadu BJP chief. Amit Shah addressed these speculations during a public event on Friday, clarifying that Annamalai remains the state BJP president despite talks about an alliance with the AIADMK. His clarification came shortly after the BJP named Nainar Nagendran, an MLA from Tirunelveli, as the new state president.
Amit Shah responded to the rumors about Annamalai’s removal, stating, “This is not true at all.” Smiling, he pointed to Annamalai sitting next to him, indicating that Annamalai’s position was unchanged. The Home Minister further confirmed that both BJP and AIADMK will join forces for the upcoming Tamil Nadu assembly elections. Amit Shah emphasized that the alliance would be under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the national level and AIADMK’s Edappadi K Palaniswami at the state level.
Both parties, BJP and AIADMK, have a long-standing history of working together, as AIADMK has been part of the NDA alliance since 1998. Amit Shah highlighted the successful cooperation between PM Modi and the late CM J Jayalalithaa, which once saw the alliance winning 30 out of 39 seats in a general election. Amit Shah expressed confidence in the NDA’s ability to secure a majority in Tamil Nadu’s upcoming elections.
Amit Shah also took the opportunity to criticize the ruling DMK government in Tamil Nadu, accusing it of using divisive issues to distract from more pressing concerns. He specifically mentioned the DMK’s focus on topics like delimitation, NEET, and the three-language policy, accusing them of sidestepping serious issues such as corruption and lawlessness in the state.
According to Amit Shah, the DMK government, led by Chief Minister M K Stalin, is plagued by numerous corruption scandals, including a Rs 39,000 crore liquor scam, illegal sand mining, energy and transport scams, as well as money laundering, and other irregularities. Amit Shah’s comments reflect a pointed criticism of the DMK’s governance, emphasizing the growing dissatisfaction with the state’s leadership.
