Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai met with party leader and former Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan at her residence in Chennai on Friday. The meeting comes in the wake of speculation about a potential rift between the two leaders following the BJP’s poor performance in Tamil Nadu during the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Annamalai took to X (formerly Twitter) after the meeting, expressing his respect and admiration for Soundararajan. He wrote, “Iâm happy to have called on Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan, one of the senior leaders and someone who worked well as the state president of TN BJP earlier. Her political experience and advice continue to inspire the party’s growth.â
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Annamalai addressed the rumors of discord within the Tamil Nadu BJP. He emphasized that the BJP is a democratic party that encourages members to voice their opinions, though he acknowledged that some comments may have been “unpalatable.”
“When there is a small amount of impurity here and there, it strengthens the system. BJP is a democratic party and people are free to voice their opinion. I have not silenced anyone. Iâm a leader who wants everybody to speak, as long as you donât cross that Lakshman Rekha,” Annamalai stated.
The BJP chief further elaborated on the nature of internal party criticism, stating, “In this process, 2-3 comments could be unpalatable. But Iâm not bothered about it. If they are impure comments, I use them as manure. If they are pure comments, I use them as strength. In politics, you need both to survive.”
This meeting and Annamalai’s comments aim to project a unified front within the Tamil Nadu BJP, despite recent electoral setbacks and internal dissent.