Singham cop turns common man in new avatar: Annamalai takes road less travelled

On May 19, K Annamalai spoke in a language different from that of the BJP on the CBSE's decision to make learning of three languages compulsory for students of Class 9. He criticised the move, pointing out that the Board was going back on its earlier announcement that this would be implemented only in the 2029-30 academic year. Annamalai reasoned that asking Class 9 students to learn three languages would lead to mental stress and asked for the withdrawal of the order.

That was the first indication that the IPS officer-turned-politician, otherwise known to faithfully toe the party line and sing paeans to Narendra Modi, was singing a different tune. More importantly, it was a manifestation of a realisation that a Tamil First template was essential if one harboured ambitions of succeeding politically in Tamil Nadu.

His resignation letter dated June 2, puts this difference of opinion into perspective. While pointing out that ''national parties never spoke the language that the people of Tamil Nadu understood'', he says he tried to change this belief during his innings in the BJP. But having come to the conclusion that his and the party leadership's views ''don't align regarding Tamil Nadu'', Annamalai decided it was best to part ways.

Annamalai did something unusual while calling it quits. Keen not to burn bridges with the BJP High Command, he spent time in Delhi meeting senior leaders even as speculation grew that he may be convinced to change his mind. Finally, nothing came out of the many rounds of exit interviews as either no counteroffer was made or the divide had become so big that no mollycoddling could have persuaded him to change his mind. In fact, Annamalai, in his video message, pointed out that he had wanted to quit in December last year but was persuaded to stay on till after the elections in Tamil Nadu.

Where does Annamalai go from here? Into the political sunset or will he rise like a phoenix from the electoral ashes he has seen in successive elections?

His immediate pitstop is a website – 'We the Leaders'–that talks about creating a movement belonging to the people. Lofty in its preamble, Annamalai says he aims to create several people leaders who can fight for the right causes. The website touches upon issues of education, health, sustainability and youth leadership, while Annamalai's bio on X now describes him as ''a common man in search of good politics''.

Within a few hours of its launch, it had garnered over 4 lakh members, an indication of Annamalai's online popularity. The description naturally reminds one of how, a decade and a half ago, Arvind Kejriwal, a former Indian Revenue Service officer, took the national capital by storm by floating the Aam Aadmi Party. Now a former IPS officer has chosen the English translation of Aam Aadmi - Common Man - as a vehicle for his political ambitions.

Traditional politicians may frown upon an online-first approach, but Annamalai will have his reasons. For one, the triumph of actor-turned-politician Joseph Vijay in the Tamil Nadu elections has shown that the virtual space is the political playground of the youth. Minds are converted, opinions are moulded over the Instagram reel expressway. Another inspiration would be the humongous online success of the Cockroach Janata Party which managed to get over 20 million followers on Instagram within a week of its launch.

In the Tamil Nadu context, Annamalai would be tapping into the educated youth who are disillusioned with the way Dravidian politics has played out and are wary of the Hindi-Hindutva template of the BJP. Shedding his BJP skin, Annamalai would hope, would make him more acceptable to the discerning youth. His stellar academic record as an MBA from IIM Lucknow and professional track record as an IPS officer before he turned neta also makes him a role model for many educated Tamil youth.

But can Annamalai really create a splash in a state crowded with so many alphabet parties?

Though not on the scale of Vijay, Annamalai is popular in the social media space and among the urban youth. Add to that educated middle class voters and a section of the anti-Dravidian electorate and Annamalai can whip up a constituency of his own.

What also helps Annamalai is that Vijay's success has proven a few things wrong about Tamil Nadu. For years, it was believed that the Dravidian duopoly does not leave any space for a new entity, that Tamil Nadu votes only on caste lines, that it is not possible to win elections without distributing money for votes. Vijay broke this psychological barrier and also demonstrated that those outside the political system can make a lateral entry and become contenders for power. Voters have shown that they are willing to experiment politically and this fluidity creates opportunities that did not exist earlier.

While creating a team is time-consuming and needs resources, what will go against Annamalai will be a trust deficit. Why would Tamil Nadu believe that his divorce from the BJP is for real, especially when it does not seem like he has burned his bridges with Delhi? The suspicion that he could be the BJP's 'Dhurandhar' in Tamil Nadu – an outrageous out-of-the-box plan by the BJP to win over Tamil Nadu – will linger.

The BJP is not a party that is used to attrition in the times of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. So how will this exit affect its image and morale?

''No loss to the BJP,'' snapped Tamil Nadu unit chief Nainar Nagendran in his first reaction to his predecessor's resignation. That's akin to an ostrich burying its head in the sand, pretending the BJP has nothing to lose from Annamalai's departure.

While Annamalai may not have been an electoral success, the fact that he chose to dump the BJP is bad optics. In the manner of his resignation, Annamalai has practically dubbed the party in Tamil Nadu as a loss-making unit whose ROI is abysmal. When your most popular leader walks away, it would be very difficult for the BJP to market itself to the people of Tamil Nadu all over again.

Not that the BJP leadership had got its Tamil Nadu strategy right. Its decision to forsake Annamalai's long-term ''En vazhi Tani Vazhi'' approach (My way is to walk alone) for short-term electoral gains by allying with the AIADMK, was political suicide. By humiliating Annamalai by asking him to step down in favour of Nagendran, the BJP showed that it was willing to be kicked around by an imperious Palaniswami. Even as some BJP state leaders gloat over Annamalai's exit, the fact remains the party is now without a roadmap in Tamil Nadu and its GPS signal lost for good measure.