In the long, familiar theatre of Tamil Nadu politics, where parties have always circled one another for the right to speak for the people, a senior AIADMK voice has questioned the motives behind the state BJP chief's street protests, suggesting that ambition for office, rather than conviction, drives them. The remark lands between two parties that are nominally allies yet both reach for the same role of principal opposition. It reveals less about any single protest than about how uneasily a coalition sits when two partners want the same ground.
AIADMK's Sellur Raju Says Annamalai's Protests May Be Aimed at Winning a BJP Post
Their crowd is full of crows; ours has an ideology
Mark
Why does a remark about one man's ambitions matter?
Mimi
Because it's really about who owns the Opposition role in Tamil Nadu. Raju is saying the BJP's protests are about career prospects, not representation.
Mark
He named Murugan and Tamilisai Soundararajan. Why them?
Mimi
Both led the state BJP and later got positions. Raju is drawing a pattern: lead protests, then get rewarded.
Luke
But that's his interpretation. He said Annamalai "may be" expecting a post. Nothing in the reporting shows Annamalai wants one.
Mark
He also said the BJP's crowd is full of crows. That's blunt for an ally.
Mimi
He even admitted he shouldn't say it, then said it anyway.
Luke
And the "few thousand people" line is Raju's characterisation. We don't have independent turnout figures.
Mark
Where did this start?
Mimi
With Ponnaiyan's closed-door talk on Tuesday, which went viral. He told cadres to counter the BJP narrative on social media.
Luke
Worth noting the reports don't say the alliance is breaking. They show public friction, nothing more.
Mark
So what do we watch?
Mimi
Whether the BJP answers, and whether AIADMK's top leadership keeps echoing this line.
O Pulso
- A senior AIADMK leader has accused BJP chief K Annamalai of staging protests in hope of a government post, igniting a public feud between formal allies.
- The jibe of 'crows' in the crowd and the claim that a few thousand protesters cannot make a party the real Opposition have pushed the quarrel into open view.
- Ponnaiyan's viral remarks on the BJP's ideology, and his call for cadres to counter the saffron party on social media, have widened the rift within the alliance.
- AIADMK leaders are closing ranks to defend their claim on the Opposition role, while the BJP's next move will decide whether the friction deepens or cools.
In the long, familiar theatre of Tamil Nadu politics, where parties have always circled one another for the right to speak for the people, a senior AIADMK voice has questioned the motives behind the state BJP chief's street protests, suggesting that ambition for office, rather than conviction, drives them. The remark lands between two parties that are nominally allies yet both reach for the same role of principal opposition. It reveals less about any single protest than about how uneasily a coalition sits when two partners want the same ground.
On Saturday, Sellur K Raju, a former minister and AIADMK MLA from Madurai (West), offered a pointed theory about why Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai keeps organising street protests. He suggested Annamalai may be hoping for "some post," as his predecessors had, and pointed to L Murugan and Tamilisai Soundararajan, both of whom received positions after their time leading the state unit. Raju acknowledged he perhaps should not say such things, since the BJP is the AIADMK's alliance partner, but he said it anyway.
He rejected the BJP's suggestion that it was playing the Opposition's role more actively. A protest of a few thousand people, he argued, does not make a party the real Opposition. He mocked the BJP's crowds as crows that could fly away at any time, and said the AIADMK's support rests on ideology. He also insisted that Tamil Nadu politics remains a contest between the DMK and the AIADMK, leaving little room for others.
The quarrel had begun on Tuesday, when Ponnaiyan told closed-door cadre meetings that the AIADMK's ideology was diametrically opposed to the BJP's, and urged members to push back on social media against the idea that the saffron party was the state's Opposition. The speech went viral, and on Wednesday he repeated that the BJP could not grow in Tamil Nadu without changing its ideology and its stands on Cauvery and Hindi imposition. Raju's remarks came a day after Edappadi K Palaniswami said the state knew how the AIADMK was raising people's concerns in the assembly. Whether the BJP answers, and how far the AIADMK pursues the attack, will show how deep the strain runs.
On Saturday, Sellur K Raju, a former minister and the AIADMK MLA from Madurai (West), offered a pointed theory about why Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai keeps organising street protests: he may be hoping to land "some post," as his predecessors did. The remark sharpened a growing quarrel between two parties that are formally allies, over which of them is the state's real Opposition.
Raju prefaced his comments with an acknowledgment that he probably should not say it, since the BJP is the AIADMK's alliance partner. He then gave examples. L Murugan, he said, was made a Union Minister of State after he took a vel, a spear, in his hand. Tamilisai Soundararajan, another former state BJP chief, was given a position. Annamalai, he suggested, may be active for the same reason: he expects a post.
He was responding to a question about the BJP being proactive as an Opposition party, and about remarks from BJP leaders criticising the AIADMK for not performing its role. Raju rejected the premise. Organising a protest with a few thousand people, he said, does not make a party the real Opposition in a state. He added a line about crowds: the BJP's crowd, he said, is full of crows that can fly off at any time, while the AIADMK's crowd has an ideology. The party is clear in its stand, he said, and will not tolerate any attack on it.
Raju also argued that Tamil Nadu politics will always be bipolar, a contest between the DMK and the AIADMK, leaving other parties little space.
His comments came a day after Edappadi K Palaniswami, the AIADMK's joint coordinator, said the whole state knew how the party was raising people's concerns in the assembly. Raju's statement adds to a list of AIADMK leaders pushing back on the BJP's claim to the Opposition role.
The dispute began on Tuesday, when Ponnaiyan spoke at a closed-door meeting of party cadres. He said the AIADMK's ideology was diametrically opposite to the BJP's. He asked cadres to become more active on social media to counter the narrative that the saffron party was playing the Opposition's part in the state.
A video clip of that speech went viral, and Ponnaiyan then spoke to the media on Wednesday. In his interactions with various outlets, he said the BJP cannot grow in Tamil Nadu unless it changes its ideology and its stand on sensitive issues such as Cauvery and Hindi imposition.
The exchange shows strain inside an alliance where both partners want the same political space. Whether the BJP responds, and whether the AIADMK's leadership keeps up the criticism, will indicate how deep the friction runs.
Citações Notáveis
May be he is being active because he expects some post.— Sellur K Raju, AIADMK leader
The BJP cannot grow in the state unless it changes its ideology and stand on issues like Cauvery and Hindi imposition.— Ponnaiyan, AIADMK leader (paraphrased)
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