Annamalai Breaks Ranks Backs CJP's Right to Protest, BJP Calls It Double Standards on SIR

Chennai Oct 22 Tamil Nadu politics witnessed an unexpected split within the BJP on Wednesday after former state president K. Annamalai openly supported the CJP's right to protest.

Annamalai, who has been trying to re-establish himself after TVK's big win in the state, questioned the Union government's handling of CJP protesters in Delhi and Chennai. His comments have not gone down well with his own party, which has now accused him of taking a contradictory stand on the SIR issue.

The entire controversy is linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The CJP has alleged that the revision is being used to delete genuine voters. As per official data, Tamil Nadu's recent SIR saw 97.38 lakh names removed initially, 27.53 lakh new voters added and another 4.23 lakh deleted later, leading to a net reduction of 73.4 lakh electors.

This revision took place just before the Assembly elections in which Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) won 108 seats and ended the DMK's rule.

The CJP has been at the forefront of the anti-SIR agitation. Earlier, the party had protested at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, also raising the NEET paper leak issue and demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The protest led to police action. CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained, and Jantar Mantar was denotified as a designated protest site.

The matter reached the Supreme Court, which directed the release of protesters who had no criminal background and asked the Centre and Delhi Police to respond to allegations of excesses.

Despite the crackdown, CJP announced another protest in Chennai today against the SIR, even though Chennai Police denied permission for it. The timing is crucial because the next phase of voter list revision, the Special Summary Revision (SSR), is scheduled to start from November 12. State Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik has called an all-party meeting on October 23 to discuss it.

It is in this context that Annamalai made his remarks.

Speaking to reporters, Annamalai said, I may not agree with CJP's ideology, but I will defend their democratic right to protest. In a democracy, you have to listen to dissent.

He went on to criticize his own party's approach. "For years, we have been using the same tactic. Label any protest as anti-national, tukde-tukde gang, or urban naxal. This is now becoming tiring. People are not afraid of these labels anymore. If youth and students are protesting peacefully, we should engage with them instead of arresting them," he said.

The statement immediately created a buzz in political circles. TVK is currently in power in Tamil Nadu and is part of the Congress-led INDIA bloc at the national level, which has opposed SIR. However, TVK claims it is also a victim of SIR and says it would have won an even bigger majority without the revision.

For the BJP, which is struggling to find space between TVK and DMK, Annamalai's statement has created an awkward situation.

Hitting back, the BJP accused Annamalai of double standards. A senior BJP leader said, "When SIR was implemented in Tamil Nadu, Annamalai himself welcomed it. He had said that removal of bogus voters will strengthen democracy. Now, when CJP is protesting against the same SIR, he is supporting them. This is nothing but political opportunism.

Party sources said Annamalai is trying to project himself as a different voice from TVK and is trying to connect with young voters who have been supporting CJP's agitations on exam irregularities and voter rights.

Meanwhile, opposition parties have taken a swipe at the BJP. DMK deputy general secretary Kanimozhi Karunanidhi has already accused the TVK government of using police to target opposition leaders, particularly women leaders, referring to the recent arrest of NTK leader M Karthika. She said the development shows internal confusion within the BJP and TVK.

Political observers say Annamalai's move is a calculated risk. After the last Assembly results, where BJP's vote share dropped, Annamalai has been looking for an issue to stay relevant. By supporting the right to protest, he is trying to build an image of a leader who stands for free speech, even if it means criticizing his own party.

As of Wednesday evening, Chennai Police maintained that permission for CJP's protest has not been granted. CJP, however, has said it will go ahead with the demonstration. Whether Annamalai joins them on the ground or limits himself to statements remains to be seen.