Annamalai rules out floating new party, says he may quit BJP if ‘Conscience’ disagrees
Annamalai rules out floating new party, says he may quit BJP if ‘Conscience’ disagrees
Coimbatore: Former Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president K. Annamalai on October 31 dismissed reports that he may launch a new political outfit but admitted he was torn about his current position within the BJP.
Speaking to reporters in Coimbatore, Annamalai said he would remain in the party only as long as he felt aligned with its values. “I will stay if I like, or I will quit if I don’t and continue farming. No one can make a person stay in a party with a gun on his head. Politics is a voluntary mechanism and we are in it, spending our own money,” he said.
Annamalai, who joined the BJP after resigning from the Indian Police Service (IPS), said his faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah was the main reason for his entry into politics. “I joined the BJP and continue to remain in it with the confidence that Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah will bring pure politics to the state. Otherwise, there was no reason for me to quit my job and become a party worker,” he said.
Addressing speculation that he might float a new party, Annamalai said, “I am a first-generation politician from an agricultural family without any political backing. How can I start a new party? I know my limits.”
However, he added that his political journey had not been without moral dilemmas. “Sometimes I find myself speaking against my conscience because I’m asked to. Still, there are some things one cannot tolerate. Let’s wait and see. Good things will happen,” he remarked.
Annamalai also said that while several AIADMK leaders continued to make personal attacks against him, he had chosen restraint. “I am keeping quiet because of the word I gave to Amit Shah. It would take me two minutes to respond, but everyone has a Lakshman Rekha. When the time comes, I will talk,” he said.
When asked about the recent expulsion of senior AIADMK leader K.A. Sengottaiyan, Annamalai said, “We saw several political developments at the Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar guru pooja on Thursday. I am also waiting and watching as a Karyakarta of the BJP.”
He stressed that all BJP workers shared a common goal, ensuring the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) victory in the upcoming Assembly elections.
Sengottaiyan was expelled from the AIADMK on October 31, a day after he met with other former senior leaders including O. Panneerselvam, T.T.V. Dhinakaran and V.K. Sasikala at a function commemorating freedom fighter Muthuramalinga Thevar at Pasumpon.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Bengaluru: Four arrested for housebreaking, threats, extortion; fake PSI among accused
Bengaluru: Vidyaranyapura police have arrested four persons, including a man posing as a Police Sub-Inspector (PSI), for allegedly breaking into a house, threatening the occupants, and extorting money while wearing police uniforms.
The arrested accused have been identified as Mallikarjuna, Pramod, Vinay, and Hrithik.
Police said the accused had hatched a plan to pose as police personnel, conduct fake raids, and extort money from residents by intimidation.
ALSO READ: Bantwal police arrest two men for illegal sale of narcotics, seize two vehicles, 810 gm ganja
According to the police, Mallikarjuna had failed the PSI examination twice and later falsely projected himself as a PSI. He allegedly conducted photo shoots in his hometown, Siraguppa, wearing a police uniform, baton, cap, and shoes, claiming to be serving as a PSI in Bengaluru.
On December 7, the four accused allegedly went to the house of Naveen in the Vidyaranyapura limits, threatened him with a stick and an iron rod, and claimed they had information that he was selling ganja. Under the pretext of searching, they allegedly extorted ₹87,000 through bank transfer, ₹53,000 in cash kept in the house, and ₹2,000 from his wallet.
Following Naveen’s complaint, Vidyaranyapura police registered a case and launched an operation, leading to the arrest of all four accused. Police have seized ₹45,000 in cash and the car used to commit the crime.
Further investigation is underway.
