Lock your caste, religion at home: Ex-BJP leader Annamalai pitches secular politics
At his Pollachi conference, former Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai said his 'We The Leaders' movement will become a political party. He framed it as a secular, anti-drug and social reform platform aiming for healthy politics in the state.
Former BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai on Sunday pitched a secular political vision for his newly launched movement, saying people should "lock up" their caste and religion at home and participate in public life as citizens first. He declared that his outfit, "We The Leaders", would eventually become a political party.
Speaking at the movement's first conference in Pollachi near Coimbatore, Annamalai said caste- and religion-based politics had run their course and that his organisation would keep both outside its fold.
"I am a Hindu. I sport sacred ash and kumkum. But when I leave home, I lock up my caste and religion inside my house and stand before people as an ordinary man common to all," he said. "Enough of politics using caste and religion. Let our lives be as a Tamilian, an Indian and a human being."
The Pollachi gathering was Annamalai's first major political address since quitting the BJP last month after the party's poor performance in the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls and differences over its alliance with the AIADMK.
Addressing questions of identity and ideology, Annamalai said he remained a proud nationalist and rejected attempts to pit Tamil identity against Indian identity. "I am proud to be an Indian, no doubt. We don't need that dirty politics between being Tamilian or Indian. Our politics is towards creating a united India where Tamil Nadu is first," he said.
Annamalai also made clear that his voluntary movement was intended to evolve into a political party and contest the 2031 Assembly polls.
"There need not be any doubt about it. This will become a political party," he said, adding that the movement would seek to offer "healthy politics" rather than politics driven by power or narrow interests.
Claiming that more than 19 lakh people had joined "We The Leaders" within 38 days of its launch, he said the movement would view a membership base of 50 lakh as a signal that the people of Tamil Nadu were ready to embrace it politically.
Describing the initiative as the "biggest experiment in India", Annamalai said its objective was to identify and groom future leaders who could go on to become MLAs, MPs and ministers.
While outlining his political vision, Annamalai struck a conciliatory tone towards the ruling TVK government, saying society should support elected representatives when they falter rather than seek to bring them down.
Referring to the ruling party's legislators, he said many were first-time MLAs who had risen through struggle rather than long political careers. "All ministers are first-time ministers, barring Sengottaiyan. They will stumble, trip and when that happens, a good society will lift them up and not push them down," he said.
At the same time, he criticised the government's fiscal management, claiming Tamil Nadu's debt would continue to rise sharply under the TVK regime. He alleged that the government would borrow not less than Rs 85,000 crore this year and around Rs 80,000 crore next year, taking the state's debt burden to Rs 14-15 lakh crore by 2031.
Annamalai said the movement's core principles would include service, leadership development, women's empowerment and social transformation. He argued that meaningful change would occur only when ordinary citizens actively participated in public causes.
He also unveiled a series of social initiatives, including a campaign to eliminate liquor consumption "from its roots" and an annual anti-drug awareness drive under which supporters will wear a white band every July.
The conference, centred on anti-drug awareness, marked the beginning of the movement's public outreach campaign and served as a platform for Annamalai to outline its political and ideological roadmap.
Former BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai on Sunday pitched a secular political vision for his newly launched movement, saying people should "lock up" their caste and religion at home and participate in public life as citizens first. He declared that his outfit, "We The Leaders", would eventually become a political party.
Speaking at the movement's first conference in Pollachi near Coimbatore, Annamalai said caste- and religion-based politics had run their course and that his organisation would keep both outside its fold.
"I am a Hindu. I sport sacred ash and kumkum. But when I leave home, I lock up my caste and religion inside my house and stand before people as an ordinary man common to all," he said. "Enough of politics using caste and religion. Let our lives be as a Tamilian, an Indian and a human being."
The Pollachi gathering was Annamalai's first major political address since quitting the BJP last month after the party's poor performance in the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls and differences over its alliance with the AIADMK.
Addressing questions of identity and ideology, Annamalai said he remained a proud nationalist and rejected attempts to pit Tamil identity against Indian identity. "I am proud to be an Indian, no doubt. We don't need that dirty politics between being Tamilian or Indian. Our politics is towards creating a united India where Tamil Nadu is first," he said.
Annamalai also made clear that his voluntary movement was intended to evolve into a political party and contest the 2031 Assembly polls.
"There need not be any doubt about it. This will become a political party," he said, adding that the movement would seek to offer "healthy politics" rather than politics driven by power or narrow interests.
Claiming that more than 19 lakh people had joined "We The Leaders" within 38 days of its launch, he said the movement would view a membership base of 50 lakh as a signal that the people of Tamil Nadu were ready to embrace it politically.
Describing the initiative as the "biggest experiment in India", Annamalai said its objective was to identify and groom future leaders who could go on to become MLAs, MPs and ministers.
While outlining his political vision, Annamalai struck a conciliatory tone towards the ruling TVK government, saying society should support elected representatives when they falter rather than seek to bring them down.
Referring to the ruling party's legislators, he said many were first-time MLAs who had risen through struggle rather than long political careers. "All ministers are first-time ministers, barring Sengottaiyan. They will stumble, trip and when that happens, a good society will lift them up and not push them down," he said.
At the same time, he criticised the government's fiscal management, claiming Tamil Nadu's debt would continue to rise sharply under the TVK regime. He alleged that the government would borrow not less than Rs 85,000 crore this year and around Rs 80,000 crore next year, taking the state's debt burden to Rs 14-15 lakh crore by 2031.
Annamalai said the movement's core principles would include service, leadership development, women's empowerment and social transformation. He argued that meaningful change would occur only when ordinary citizens actively participated in public causes.
He also unveiled a series of social initiatives, including a campaign to eliminate liquor consumption "from its roots" and an annual anti-drug awareness drive under which supporters will wear a white band every July.
The conference, centred on anti-drug awareness, marked the beginning of the movement's public outreach campaign and served as a platform for Annamalai to outline its political and ideological roadmap.
