‘Whether I am a BJP person or a Tamilian…’: Annamalai explains ‘great conflict’ behind his exit, announces new party

FSea-ear Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai is thirster constituent of the company. His surrender from the party's primary membership was accepted by BJP national president Nitin Nabin on Friday, ending days of speculation over the leader's political future. Hours after the announcement, Annamalai revealed why he stepped away, and what lies in store for him next.Annamalai announced a new political movement which would later evolve into a party that would contest the next assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, due in five years. He said the southern state wanted change, and asserted that his party could offer that.'Our views don't align,' Annamalai tells BJPListing the reasons for his BJP exit, Annamalai said he had informed the leadership of his decision in December last year, but was asked to wait till the 2026 April-May assembly elections were over.“It was a great conflict whether I am a BJP person or a Tamilian. I told the party on December 4, 2025, that I am going to resign. The party asked me to finish the elections and then go,” Annamalai said, according to news agency ANI.Annamalai's connection with his Tamil roots were also emphasised in the resignation letter he sent to the BJP leadership on June 2. “As a nationalist deeply rooted in regional aspirations, I take immense 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 upon the strength, dignity and aspirations of its many regions and communities,” he wrote.He also emphasised how he expressed his “disagreements” with the leadership over the past 18 months, and said he doesn't think his views align with the party anymore. “I do not want to burden the top leadership any further with my ongoing thoughts on the way forward for a growth-oriented and culturally rooted politics in Tamil Nadu,” he wrote.‘National parties never spoke language TN understood’Recalling his association with the BJP so far, Annamalai thanked the party for taking him on board and trusting him. However, he also noted that the people of Tamil Nadu always sought change, which sometimes arrived, but never stayed.“National parties never spoke the language that people in Tamil Nadu understood. I have tried to change this belief and also found reasonable success despite multiple roadblocks, barriers and obstructions from both inside and outside,” Annamalai said.His remarks come at a time when the BJP has recently defeated the regional party TMC in Bengal, and is hoping to make a mark on its own in Punjab early next year. In Tamil Nadu, though, national parties BJP and Congress both have fared poorly for decades now. The BJP won only one seat in the Tamil Nadu assembly elections this time, three down from last time, and won zero seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.Annamalai, also known as ‘Singham’ — a name inspired bya cop movie title — in Tamil Nadu due to his background in the police service, has now appealed people to back his political movement, and that a new party was needed in Tamil Nadu.“We need to play common man politics in future. We need to gather skillful persons to join our political movement, which will become a political party in the coming days and will strive hard make Tamil Nadu a front runner,” the leader said in a video message.Kuppusamy Annamalai, a former IPS officer, became a big symbol for the BJP in Tamil Nadu after he was fielded as a candidate in the 2021 elections. Despite a poll loss, he was made the Tamil Nadu BJP chief, and held the post for three years, before stepping down and being replaced by Nainar Nagendran. One of his chief disagreements was the BJP's alliance with the AIADMK and essentially playing second fiddle.