Annamalai Put Country Over Personal Ambition: PM Modi On TN BJP Chief

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hailed Tamil Nadu BJP Chief K Annamalai claiming that the former IPS officer could have joined the established parties like the DMK and the AIADMK but he opted for the saffron party for "national reasons".

In an interview with Thanthi TV, PM Modi said, "Annamalai is attracting the youth. They see him and think that if money and corruption were the reasons behind his conduct, then he could have joined the DMK or the AIADMK. Annamalai chose the BJP not for personal reasons, but for national reasons. He has a strong caste support, and he is young and articulate as well. He is working for the country and for Tamil Nadu."

Recently, a video of PM Modi patting on the back of Annamalai had gone viral.

Talking about his connection with Tamil Nadu, the PM said that he has been visiting the South Indian state for the past five decades. However, the strongest connection was forged when the Vivekananda Rock Memorial was under construction in Kanyakumari.

"During the imposition of the Emergency by Indira Gandhi, I was living incognito. It was during those days that I used to visit Tamil Nadu to participate in movements against the Emergency," he claimed.

The BJP, which had been struggling to leave a political impact in Tamil Nadu, is hoping to register its best-ever performance in the state under the leadership of Annamalai. Pre-poll surveys have indicated that the saffron party is likely to win a few seats in the state in the Lok Sabha election.

In the interview, PM Modi said that he was "angry because we have done injustice to the great heritage of Tamil Nadu."

"Bharat has the world's oldest language, yet we don't show any pride in it. The praise of this rich heritage should be sung about all over the world," he added.

On the AIADMK walking out of the NDA alliance, he said that the BJP has no regrets while speaking about his relationship with late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. "When I became the chief minister in 2002, so many people were pointing fingers at me. But Amma came to my swearing-in notwithstanding what people were saying about me. That was the bond we shared. So BJP has no reason for regrets but AIADMK must have since they hurt Amma's dreams'."

The AIADMK ended its alliance with the BJP in 2023.