Senior Tamil Nadu BJP Leader Quits Party, Joins AIADMK

BJP's Tamil Nadu IT Wing chief CTR Nirmal Kumar on Sunday lashed out against the party's state president K Annamalai and quit the party.

Within hours of announcing his resignation, he met AIADMK interim chief K Palaniswami and joined the main opposition party. In a statement uploaded on his Twitter account, Mr Kumar charged the party's state leadership with showing scant disregard to party workers and even alleged Annamalai engaged in "surveillance" against many, a charge denied by a close associate of the leader.

"There is nothing more demeaning than rejoicing at the surveillance of own party members and functionaries," Mr Kumar, a Madurai-based party worker, said.

The BJP was not even 20 per cent of what it was in 2019, before Annamalai took over, he alleged. Later, he met Palaniswami and joined the AIADMK, the party said.

Responding to Mr Kumar's allegation, Amar Prasad Reddy, a close aide of Annamalai, outright rejected the "surveillance" charge as "basless." "It is 100 per cent a false allegation," Reddy, president of TN BJP's Sports and Skill Development Cell, told PTI.

Annamalai was keen on infusing young blood in the party ranks and this has resulted in nearly 60 per cent of the posts being held by those below the age of 30 years, he said.

The BJP state leader was "least bothered" about knowing about the personal and professional lives of party functionaries, and Annamalai had given much importance to Kumar in the last few months, he said.

He said the BJP "is going ahead fast where the party will expect everyone to give 100 per cent." Sometimes, some persons may not be able to deliver, Mr Reddy added.

Fresh blood will be infused in the party and it will grow in the coming days, was the message from Annamalai, Reddy said, adding the leader has wished Kumar in his new innings in the Dravidian party.

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