Current affairs

Annamalai takes charge as the TN BJP President and L Murugan reveals BJP's vision for the state!

By alagu, 16 July, 2021
Annamalai, BJP, Tamilnadu

K Annamalai has on Friday assumed charge as the Tamil Nadu BJP President, days after former president L Murugan was made the Union Minister. Annamalai, who is the former IPS officer, had taken charge of a top position in the Tamil Nadu BJP unit at the party's state headquarters Kamalalayam in Chennai in the presence of senior party leaders. 

Before arriving in Chennai, Annamalai had held a massive roadshow from his hometown of Coimbatore and he travelled to every district in the stretch to Chennai. He has given a grand reception by the party cadres and he took charge as the Tamil Nadu BJP President on Friday afternoon. The ceremony was attended by senior party leaders including Annamalai's predecessor L Murugan, CT Ravi, Pon Radhakrishnan, H Raja, and L Ganesan.

37-year-old Annamalai has become the youngest-ever BJP president in Tamil Nadu and he has been appointed to the top post within one year of his joining in the party. After taking charge, Annamalai has vowed that the BJP will be the future of Tamil Nadu. While addressing the reporters, Annamalai has staunchly backed NEET and slammed the DMK government for not fulfilling even a single poll promise though the party has been in power for 70 days. 

By citing that DMK has failed to repeal the NEET, Annamalai has said that several students in the rural areas have got the opportunity through NEET and said that the BJP will go to each street in Tamil Nadu and campaign in favour of NEET. He further said, "The party's leadership has given me a top post in one year of working with the party." Former president and current Union Minister L Murugan had greeted his successor Annamalai and that the vision is to take the BJP to every corner of Tamil Nadu. 

Earlier, during his roadshow, Annamalai has invited controversy over his statement. Speaking to the party cadres, he said that he can bring the media under control within six months. He claimed, " "Within six months you will see that we can control the media and bring them under us. The previous BJP Chief L Murugan is now the Minister for Information and Broadcasting. All media will now come under him. Therefore, false information cannot be spread as news for politics hereafter." 

His statement had stirred outrage across the state with several activists and political leaders are slamming the former IPS officer for pumping in BJP's propaganda in the state and beginning his stint with an aim of intimidating and suppressing the media. The critics had also said that Annamalai's aim of controlling the media will never get succeeded. 

He was questioned by the reporters about his statement after he took charge as the state BJP President. Responding to the question, Annamalai has claimed that his statement was fabricated and maintained that BJP has trust in the media. He said that he is aware of a proper system of functioning for veteran media and stated that he spoke about the new Information Technology rules. He had backed the Union government's schemes and said that over 3.5 crore people in Tamil Nadu had benefitted through the schemes of the Modi-led government. 

It must be noted that BJP was brave enough to appoint Annamalai as the Tamil Nadu president by surpassing the veteran leaders of the party. Annamalai had joined the BJP in August 2020 and he was appointed as the vice-president of the state unit straightaway. Being a staunch supporter of Prime Minister Modi, Annamalai had drawn more attention in the state towards his political entry. Annamalai had also contested in the Aravakurichi seat in the 2021 state assembly polls. However, he lost the election, but that didn't bother him in his political growth. 

In appointing Annamalai, BJP has aimed to pour more light on the young cadres in Tamil Nadu, where Modi keeps his concentration on the party's growth. Besides addressing the intra-party furore, a major challenge for Annamalai would be being Modi's face in Tamil Nadu, the state which opposes Modi's face than BJP. Annamalai will be in the post of the party's state president for three years and he must lead the party without a major rift in the alliance.

He will be assuming the charge at a high time when Tamil Nadu is ahead of local body polls in nine new districts in which the BJP and ADMK should showcase the alliance amid tensions between both the parties on who should be held accountable for the defeat in Tamil Nadu assembly polls. One of the major tasks and challenges for Annamalai would be preparing the party for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in the state.

 

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