A day after K Annamalai sparked controversy by questioning the Centre’s crackdown on protests by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), the former Tamil Nadu BJP chief clarified that his comments should not be interpreted as support for the Abhijeet Dipke-led organisation. Speaking at an event organised by his ‘We the Leaders’ movement on Thursday, Annamalai criticised the Centre, praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and defended the cause behind the CJP protests.
“We never support the Cockroach Janta Party. Their agenda is different, and ours is different,” Annamalai said. He left the BJP earlier this year to launch his own political initiative. However, he maintained that every political party has the right to fight for its cause in a democracy.
WHAT DID ANNAMALAI SAY ABOUT THE CJP PROTESTS?
The former IPS officer, known for his outspoken remarks, faced criticism from the BJP after condemning the police action on October 10 against CJP protesters who were demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Taking a swipe at the BJP on Thursday, Annamalai said he did not need anyone to lecture him on patriotism.
“I have experience living and working in many states of the country. I know India's unity and sovereignty. Therefore, no one needs to lecture me on patriotism,” he said.
He stressed that if the CJP protesters had committed any wrongdoing, the authorities should act in accordance with the law and follow due procedure instead of adopting a vindictive approach.
“We believe that arrests must be carried out in accordance with the law and due procedure,” Annamalai said.
He added that if there was a threat to the country's sovereignty, agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) should be used to investigate the matter and take appropriate action.
“If there is a threat to the country's sovereignty, you have all the institutions - IB, RAW. Use them, put them behind bars. Do not manufacture bogeys on Twitter (X),” he said.
At the same time, Annamalai maintained that attempts to weaken public confidence in democratic institutions, including the Election Commission and the Supreme Court, were unacceptable.
While praising Prime Minister Modi for his work, Annamalai qualified his support by emphasising that it would not prevent him from questioning the government when necessary.
“Modi is a good PM, who is doing good work,” he said, adding that he would not hesitate to criticise anything he believed was wrong, even while supporting the Prime Minister.
ANNAMALAI AND THE BJP TRADE BARBS
Annamalai’s latest remarks come amid an intensifying war of words with his former party.
Earlier this week, he said he disagreed with the CJP’s tactics, describing them as misguided, but defended the organisation’s right to oppose the government. He also condemned the detention of CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka and questioned the Delhi Police’s handling of the case.
Annamalai cited a statement reportedly made by Modi in 2011, when he was Gujarat’s Chief Minister. According to Annamalai, Modi had said he would have travelled to Delhi and “waged a war” against the Centre over the police crackdown on anti-corruption protesters at Ramlila Maidan.
Annamalai argued that Modi had been justified in speaking out against the police action at the time. However, he questioned why similar scrutiny of the present government was now being met with arrests and detentions.
He also questioned whether the BJP was inadvertently helping the CJP expand its national presence. Referring to the burning of a cockroach effigy during Dussehra celebrations at a Ramlila event in Delhi, organised under the leadership of BJP MLA Ashok Goel, he asked whether the party was opposing the CJP or providing it with free publicity.
Annamalai further accused the BJP of attempting to manufacture enemies despite having been in power for 12 years.
His remarks drew a sharp response from Tamil Nadu BJP spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy, who argued that Annamalai’s comments blurred the distinction between peaceful protest and deliberate violations of the law.
Thirupathy also pointed out that Annamalai had left the BJP in June 2026 and was free to criticise the party.
