"If The Party Tells Me...": Tamil Nadu BJP Chief On Contesting 2024 Polls

Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai on Friday termed as 'speculations', him contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha polls but said he will abide by any decision the party takes.

The former IPS officer said he had no "personal prejudice or any likes and dislikes in BJP." "Whatever the party tells me I have to obey, that is the nature of the party. Today the party has asked me to complete the state level yatra (En Manna En Makkal) and we have just finished that," he told reporters here.

He said the BJP has "given me some responsibility" to ensure the growth of the party in the state and he was doing that.

Apparently referring to the upcoming Lok Sabha contest, he said, "tomorrow morning if the party tells me, do that, I will do that." "I am not going to respond to speculations. Whatever our senior national leadership decides, my duty is to obey and make sure it is implemented on the ground," the state BJP chief added.

To a question on Udhayanidhi's strident criticism of BJP, indicating it could hardly make any impact in the elections, Mr Annamalai said the state minister is a "failed actor," referring to the DMK leader's cinema stint.

Mr Udhayanidhi was in politics "with his grandfather (the late M Karunanidhi) and father's (MK Stalin) name...what social service has he done...did he help the poor?" Mr Annamalai asked.

To a question on the TN BJP greeting Stalin in 'Chinese' on his birthday, Mr Annamalai said he did not find anything offensive about it.

"On behalf of @bjptnmediacell, here's wishing our Honourable CM Thiru @mkstalin avargal a happy birthday in his favourite language! May he live a long and healthy life!" it said, with an image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP leaders including JP Nadda and Annamalai, besides that of the TN CM with some message in what seemed to be in Chinese.

It appeared to an apparent dig at the recent controversy over a 'China flag' in a DMK advertisement issued in connection with an ISRO launch complex coming up in the state.

Asked about this, Mr Annamalai said DMK leader and MP "Kanimozhi said China is not an enemy country. So, what's wrong in wishing our Chief Minister in Chinese. That is what our IT wing people have done. I don't find anything offensive," Mr Annamalai added.

At a rally in Tirunelveli on Wednesday, PM Modi strongly criticised the DMK for being 'oblivious' to the nation's achievements in space sector, after the newspaper advertisement by a state minister on the spaceport kicked up a row over what the BJP claimed had a 'Chinese flag'.

The Tamil Nadu BJP had then alleged that in an advertisement in a daily the DMK used 'Chinese flag' and 'Chinese language' to claim credit for bringing the new ISRO complex at Kulasekarapattinam, located near Thoothukudi in the state.

On Thursday, DMK leader and Fisheries Minister Anitha R Radhakrishnan who issued the advertisement had said it was a gaffe by the designer.

The minister, who had given the advertisement on behalf of his party, stressed that it was only a mistake and they (DMK) had no other intentions.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)