K. Annamalai : “Tamil Nadu’s Blue Eyed Boy” Exclusively On NewsX

Tamil Nadu stands tall as the second-largest economy in India, a testament to its vibrant spirit of enterprise and innovation. Hosting the highest number of factories nationwide, it symbolizes a powerhouse of industrial prowess and economic vitality.

With a remarkable urbanization rate of 48.40%, Tamil Nadu embodies progress and modernity, making a significant contribution of about 9.26% to our country’s urban population. Let us dig deeper into the issues facing Tamil Nadu on a special segment of NewsX, “The Hot Mic,” where we are joined by K. Annamalai and the host Megha Sharma, Executive Director. This discussion comes as the state prepares for the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections.

 Why are people so crazy about you?

1. Annamalai is touted to be PM Narendra Modi’s blue-eyed boy and has gained considerable fame as well as become a phenomenon not just in Coimbatore but all over the country, he is admired by women, children and the elderly alike, to these compliments K. Annamalai replied, “ Oh, no, no, madam. I am a very normal person. I am not a politician. Let me put it like that.”

“I’m three years into politics, but I am not a full-time politician. I do things my own way. I was a cop for some time. Even now, I call myself a farmer first. I do active farming. I run a foundation and because of the responsibility I have now as the state president of BJP, it has become a full-time now, literally. So maybe people like that, that I’m very different. Maybe I’m very original.”

Why the BJP and why Narendra Modi?

 As the discussion progressed, the primary question that emerged was why Mr. Annamalai had chosen the BJP and why he favored Narendra Modi. In response, he elegantly elaborated on his reasons, “It is because of Modi ji youngsters like us get a chance to speak. It is very important in politics that you are open and it is because of Modi ji youngsters like me get accepted. It is very important. All of us come with rough edges. It is not that I am a finished product and we are work-in-progress kind of people and we make mistakes and many times it is like gentle prodding, gentle nudge, gentle advice here and there. So, they try and shape you into a better person. So, I don’t think any other leader in our country right now would be giving this much opportunity to youngsters.”

What is the peculiarity of South India that it has still been a difficulty, a challenge for the BJP to penetrate?

 Further in the conversation, it was discussed how BJP has been in power for 10 years under the leadership of PM Modi, and most of these votes are gathered from the Northern states in India, but what is the reason for the party not having a hold in the south, to which he replied, “I can’t speak for other states madam but I can speak definitely for Tamil Nadu because BJP came very late to Tamil Nadu. Jansang, the earlier Jansang was not as strong as Jansang of other parts of our country because the Dravidian movement was very strong and 1980 when BJP formed as a party and even our first MLA Velayudham in 1996, he contested in some other symbol, and he became an MLA. So, if you look at the politics of Tamil Nadu per se, BJP came into the state very late.”

Now, after Modi ji has come, what happened?

 Speaking on the developments that have taken place after Narendra Modi came to power he expressed, “Two things happened. And generally, in Tamil Nadu, the fear of an outsider is built for a long time. The moment somebody is an outsider, the politicians here smartly make them a villain. Anything they say out of context, they flip it. They say look, look, look, he is anti-Tamil. They build that sustained pressure for a year. Magazines, stage speeches, and grassroots speeches make all great leaders of the North villains because they are outsiders. And Modi ji is the first person to successfully break it”.

 

What is your goal as BJP president?

On the first day of assuming the BJP Presidency, he was questioned by the press about his goals as the President, to which he reiterated, “My goal is very simple. When I leave this chair, I should have created 500 leaders worthy of their names. Once I have done it, my job is over, I will go and do some other work in my country. But the moment the 500 names in my state are worthy of their name, these guys are the first line of defense.”

1. Annamalai’s Vision

He emphasized the importance of getting the social engineering right and ensuring equal opportunities for everyone, with the belief that opportunities should not be withheld based on fame. It was articulated that communities should be given opportunities, as a lack of opportunities can lead to feelings of being slighted.

In the analysis of 39 seats this time, it was noted that their social engineering has been effectively executed, with careful consideration given to who is contesting in each seat.

Check out the complete video on our YouTube channel, NewsX.