Daijiworld Media Network - Chennai
Chennai, Oct 22: Former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai has criticised the BJP-led Central government over its handling of protests and dissent, accusing it of “manufacturing enemies” despite being in power for more than 12 years.
Annamalai, who quit the BJP in June and launched his political outfit We The Leaders, made the remarks in a series of posts on X while questioning the Delhi Police’s handling of protests by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar.
He raised concerns over preventive detention, restrictions on the right to protest and what he described as a tendency to portray criticism of the government as anti-national activity.
“I have a feeling the central government forgets it's been in power in Delhi for 12 plus years and still manufactures an enemy at all times to keep itself relevant. Sadly, that's a pity!” Annamalai wrote.
Recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s criticism of the police crackdown on an anti-corruption protest at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan in 2011, Annamalai said Modi had been right to oppose the action when he was Gujarat chief minister.
He contrasted that position with the current treatment of protesters, alleging that people could face prolonged detention and difficulties securing bail or obtaining approval for sureties.
“Today, you could be jailed indefinitely; your surety bonds could be rejected; and, surprisingly, a Special Executive Magistrate will play circles around you when he/she is empowered to deal with preventive bond cases,” he wrote.
Annamalai was referring to the detention of CJP co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka following a demonstration at Jantar Mantar on October 13. He said he had questioned the police’s methods during a media interaction and subsequently faced criticism.
Arguing that questioning the government’s conduct should not invite accusations of disloyalty, he said, “If you question the violation of due process of law in a democracy, you would be called names, and a barrage of attacks would follow, including being labelled a Foreign Agent.”
He also questioned whether the BJP’s response to CJP was inadvertently giving the outfit greater publicity. Referring to the burning of a cockroach effigy during Dussehra celebrations in Delhi, allegedly led by BJP MLA Ashok Goel, Annamalai asked whether the party was opposing CJP or helping it gain visibility.
The criticism drew a response from Tamil Nadu BJP secretary Vinoj P Selvam, who argued that the government had a responsibility to maintain public order while safeguarding the right to peaceful protest.
Selvam said Modi’s 2011 remarks could not, by themselves, determine whether police action in 2026 was lawful. He also disputed Annamalai’s claims regarding restrictions at Jantar Mantar, the role of Special Executive Magistrates and the rejection of sureties.
“Publish the orders. Address the reasons. Identify the procedural violation,” Selvam said, urging Annamalai to substantiate his allegations.
Tamil Nadu BJP chief spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy also criticised Annamalai, accusing him of changing his position on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls after leaving the party on June 5. Thirupathy said Annamalai had previously supported the exercise and argued that fake voters needed to be removed.
BJP worker Karthik Gopinath also questioned Annamalai’s comparison between the current protests and the 2011 Ramlila Maidan crackdown, arguing that the two incidents involved different circumstances. He claimed that CJP protesters had breached barricades and that their leaders were subsequently released through legal proceedings.
Annamalai’s criticism also extended to the Congress and its protests against the SIR exercise. He argued that opposition parties should not discredit democratic institutions as a whole when alleged wrongdoing might involve particular individuals.
He further rejected repeated suggestions that anti-government protests were linked to foreign influence, arguing that the government had investigative agencies and diplomatic resources to examine any such links.
“Enough of this anti-national thing,” he wrote, describing repeated claims of foreign funding behind protests as unconvincing.
Annamalai maintained that a government with more than 12 years in power should respond to criticism on its merits rather than routinely portraying its opponents as enemies.