Annamalai launches political movement ‘to end cult and dynastic politics’

Chennai:

Hours after his resignation was accepted by the BJP national president Nitin Nabin on Friday, former BJP state president K Annamalai announced the launch of his political movement that would fight against “cult and dynastic politics” in Tamil Nadu, an apparent reference to TVK and DMK. Annamalai said the movement would evolve into a political party “at an appropriate time”.

“Our party will contest the next general election. We have to prepare our volunteers, cadres and leaders for it,” Annamalai said in a video interaction streamed on social media from Delhi. He called upon people to join as volunteers in the movement through the portal ‘We the leader.’ By 11pm on Friday, close to 10 lakh people had signed up.

The former IPS officer said he would encourage honest and efficient people to participate in the upcoming local body elections. They would be trained at APJ Abdul Kalam Centre of Excellence on Ethics and Politics based in Coimbatore, he said. Later in the evening, he arrived in Chennai to a rousing reception. Several BJP functionaries including state vice president Karu Nagarajan, who announced his resignation from the party, greeted him.

He did not reveal the name or ideology of his proposed party, but outlined its broad contours. His pledge to end cult and dynastic politics suggested that TVK and DMK could be his principal targets. His observation that youngsters are yearning for change, indicated a likely focus on Gen Z voters. Annamalai also said he would treat all political parties, including BJP, equally, signalling that he would not hesitate to criticize his former party. “I will practise dignified politics,” he said.

The focus on former President Abdul Kalam also suggested that the party would have a nationalistic view while being rooted in Tamil pride. Emphasising the need to change the state’s political grammar and culture, Annamalai said, “There is certainly a need for another political party at this juncture.”

In a veiled attack on chief minister C Joseph Vijay, Annamalai said practicing cult politics while promising to bring a change was contradictory. “We want to end cult politics. So we must promote an uncompromised, ideology-driven political movement,” he said. He noted that they are not going to be competitors to anyone, but would stand firm on the state’s rights, culture and tradition.

Stressing the need to end dynastic politics, he said there are no permanent MLAs, MPs or ministers. “No chair is permanent for anybody. We will bring term limits to determine how many times one can be an MLA, MP or minister. This includes myself. This will encourage new entrants and a stream of fresh ideas.”

Annamalai said establishing “clean politics” from the village panchayat level is the prime objective of the movement. “We are going to bring a new generation into politics. We cannot ignore them. They are hungry for change,” he said, extending a “humble request” to those joining the movement to remain patient, as it should be built brick by brick to establish a strong ideological foundation that can endure beyond their time.

“Believe me and stay with me, we will bring a revolution and change for TN and make it the number one state in the country,” he said, adding that they should be ready for sacrifices to achieve their goal.

Justifying his decision to quit the BJP, he said it was not a hasty one. He had conveyed his decision to the national leadership on December 24, 2025, and the party had asked him to continue till the elections were over. Thanking BJP for giving him an opportunity in the party, Annamalai recalled that he had turned down a request from actor Rajinikanth’s to join his proposed political outfit to join BJP.

In his resignation letter to BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Annamalai said national parties had never spoken the language that people of 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,” he said. He also recalled “multiple conversations with the top leadership and the disagreements” he expressed over the past 18 months.