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Journalism of Courage
The Tamil Nadu BJP’s president K Annamalai returned to the limelight last Thursday when he announced that he would not wear any footwear until the DMK-led government is ousted. He followed it up next day by lashing himself with a flog six times outside his Chennai house as a mark of protest against the alleged sexual assault incident in Anna University. He has alleged that the accused in this case was affiliated to the DMK – an accusation rejected by the ruling party as baseless. In an interview with The Indian Express, Annamalai speaks on a range of issues, keeping his guns trained on the DMK. Excerpts:
*Why did you flog yourself, and why did you take the decision to go barefoot until the DMK government is dislodged?
The recent issue at Anna University, where a DMK functionary sexually assaulted a female student, was not the first case of a DMK functionary being involved in such a heinous crime in the last 3 years. After the FIR was leaked to the public and the way in which the FIR was drafted to humiliate the victim, any righteous man would fume. My self-flagellation six times is my way of displaying anger as a brother of the victim girl.
We as a society have failed that girl of basic human rights. In the last six months, there have been innumerable instances where common people of the state have lost their lives or their dignity due to the DMK government’s disastrous model. The Tamil Nadu BJP workers are arrested for conducting protests democratically. If the autocratic DMK government keeps pushing us into a corner, my walking barefoot would be a way of penance till the DMK is driven out of power in the state.
*But these moves appear to be a crowd-pulling spectacle. Does the state BJP need this kind of spectacle?
We have had innumerable instances. The law and order in the state is in a shambles. The DMK functionaries have taken the law into their own hands. There is a tipping point to how much a common man can bear. I think we have reached that point where the government is least bothered by the sufferings of common people.
*You are known to be close to the BJP central leadership. Has it been affected in the wake of the Lok Sabha elections?
Unlike the Congress, the BJP does not work in silos. The BJP central leadership listens to the voices from the ground. You cannot single out one karyakarta and say that person is close to the leadership. PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president Nadda – all came from the grassroots and were not airdropped like the Congress leadership. So, they make it a point to listen to the views of the people and appreciate alternative views even if they don’t sound popular.
*What is the BJP’s vision for Tamil Nadu? You say the state deserves more than what the DMK government has offered.
Of course, the state deserves more than what the DMK government has to offer. Today, the state has reached what one calls a stalemate. There is rising inequality in the districts. There are no concrete programmes to check the depletion of the water table. The government seems satisfied with the revenue from alcohol and has no alternate methods to improve the state’s tax revenues. Temples are seen as institutions that could be plundered. The health care system has become dysfunctional due to unfilled vacancies and decaying infrastructure. Above all, there is rampant corruption that has delayed the delivery of basic infrastructure to the people.
*What is the BJP’s relationship with the AIADMK? Is your party’s alliance with the AIADMK possible?
Our party’s central leadership decides whom we should form an alliance with, and our focus remains solely on the party’s development in the state.
*What do you think of actor Vijay’s move to float his party Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) in the state?
His (Vijay’s) entry seems to have affected the DMK, which is hell-bent on discrediting his impact on Tamil Nadu politics. Possibly, they (DMK) are worried that he could dent their vote bank. However, it is soon to really understand his impact as he is yet to hit the ground after his public meeting a few months back.
