On Saturday, a delegation from the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) paid a visit to the residence of K Annamalai, the party's Tamil Nadu chief, and arrested leader Amar Prasad Reddy's family in Chennai. The delegation was led by former Karnataka Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda, who criticized the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government for the removal of a flagpole outside Annamalai's residence.
Sadananda Gowda alleged that under the leadership of Chief Minister MK Stalin, the Tamil Nadu government engaged in diversion politics. He questioned the removal of the flagpole from outside Annamalai's residence, stating, "Why was the flagpole erected right outside the compound wall of Annamalai’s residence removed when other flags are allowed on the national highway? DMK is afraid of BJP and engages in diversion politics."
A confrontation between BJP leaders and the Tamil Nadu Police had occurred earlier after officials removed a flagpole from Annamalai's residence. The BJP reported that some party workers were injured during the incident. BJP leader Amar Prasad Reddy was arrested in connection with the alleged attack and damage to a JCB machine brought to remove an illegal flagpole.
Sadananda Gowda, leading the BJP delegation, also criticized the Tamil Nadu government, saying it was "against the people's interests" and that constitutional provisions were being ignored. He voiced concerns about the harassment of BJP workers and indicated that the issue might be escalated to the Union Home Ministry and the Centre if the state government continued its provocative actions.
The BJP delegation alleged that the DMK was trying to disrupt Annamalai’s padayatra, and they accused the police of lodging frivolous cases against BJP workers and not taking their complaints seriously. They claimed there have been 409 police cases against BJP workers in Tamil Nadu in the last two years.
