Tamil Nadu BJP Leader's "Another DMK" Jibe After Quitting Party

BJP State Secretary Amar Prasad Reddy has announced his resignation from the party after levelling several allegations against the Tamil Nadu BJP leadership. He also said that he would join former BJP state president K Annamalai in his volunteer movement.

Reddy alleged that the Tamil Nadu BJP is being controlled by four or five leaders and claimed that the party failed to adequately recognise Annamalai's contribution in increasing the BJP's vote share to around 12 per cent in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Following Annamalai's exit from the state leadership, several BJP functionaries at the state and district levels have resigned and announced their support for his initiatives. Reddy, widely regarded as a close associate of Annamalai, is the latest leader to step down.

In a nine-minute video released after his resignation, Reddy detailed his contributions to the BJP since joining the party in 2013. He said he entered politics out of admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and pointed out that former state BJP presidents received recognition despite electoral defeats.

According to Reddy, Tamilisai Soundararajan was appointed Governor after her efforts for the party, while L. Murugan was made a Rajya Sabha MP and later a Union Minister despite losing elections. He argued that Annamalai inherited a party with a vote share of around 3 per cent and worked to raise it to nearly 12 per cent, yet did not receive similar recognition. Reddy alleged that alliance calculations and personal interests led to Annamalai being replaced as state president.

Questioning the party leadership, Reddy asked why leaders associated with a 3 per cent vote share were rewarded while Annamalai, who expanded the party's support base significantly, was not.

He further claimed that some leaders within the BJP were uncomfortable with the rise of young and knowledgeable leaders from Tamil Nadu.

Drawing a comparison with the DMK, Reddy said, "We say we are not like the DMK. What is the difference between the Tamil Nadu BJP and the DMK? The DMK has dynasty politics, while the BJP here is controlled by four or five people."

He also questioned the repeated selection of candidates who continue to lose elections, suggesting that some individuals may be benefiting politically regardless of electoral outcomes.

Reddy concluded by predicting that the future political contest in Tamil Nadu would be between Annamalai and C Joseph Vijay, while other political players would become increasingly irrelevant.