How Annamalai has switched to North-South politics, but with a difference
In Tamil Nadu, politics has long revolved around Tamil identity and language, Dravidian ideology, regional pride, and anti-northern India rhetoric. For decades, Dravidian parties have
In Tamil Nadu, politics has long revolved around Tamil identity and language, Dravidian ideology, regional pride, and anti-northern India rhetoric. For decades, Dravidian parties have successfully used narratives centred around these and built powerful electoral hegemonies. The rise of the Dravidian movement and the dominance of the DMK and the AIADMK further cemented these political planks over six decades. Is K Annamalai, who lambasted the Dravidian parties for their divisive politics, taking on an anti-North stance? Read Full Story Tamil Nadu is on the boil over the rape and murder of a three-year-old girl and the sexual harassment of a 10-year-old. The accused in both the cases are migrant workers. On Monday, Annamalai, the former Tamil Nadu BJP president, criticised what he described as the growing involvement of "North Indian labourers" in serious crimes in the state. Annamalai appears to be charting a narrative similar to the Dravidian parties, but with a slight variation. Since launching his new political movement after quitting the BJP, Annamalai has been invoking the North-South debate not in the traditional Dravidian mould but in a more pragmatic one. Instead of framing it around language, culture, or federalism, Annamalai is focusing on governance and law-and-order concerns, particularly involving migrant populations from northern states. Referring to two recent cases involving minor girls, Annamalai highlighted the lack of a proper registry for migrant workers and the difficulty in tracking individuals who move into Tamil Nadu for employment. The remarks stand out because they mark a departure from Annamalai's political positioning during his years in the BJP. As state BJP president, Annamalai was one of the strongest critics of the DMK's anti-northern Indian rhetoric. He frequently accused the DMK of creating divisions and portrayed both the BJP and Tamil society as welcoming towards migrants from other parts of India. His June 15 posts on X, therefore, represent a notable shift in emphasis. While he did not attack the northern Indians as a community, he repeatedly referred to "North Indian states" and "North Indians" while discussing crime and demanding greater monitoring of migrant populations.
Political observers and locals have particularly noted the frequency with which those terms appeared in his statement on Monday. Editor of the Tamil Nadu-based Tughlak Magazine, S Gurumurthy, who is also considered one of Annamalai's mentors, raised scepticism about whether Annamalai is "taking a step to another Dravidian movement". "I had always viewed Annamalai positively in the BJP, even after he left. But this narrative against North Indian states is unacceptable. Is it a slip from or a step to another Dravidian movement? Future alone can tell," Gurumurthy posted on X on Tuesday. Though Annamalai is framing the migration from "northern states" through the prism of law and order, pinning the blame of crimes on a migrant group is drawing criticism. ANNAMALAI FLAGS RISING INVOLVEMENT OF 'NORTH INDIAN MIGRANTS' IN TAMIL NADU CRIMES "The news of a three-year-old toddler falling victim to sexual assault near Gummidipoondi in Thiruvallur district and succumbing to her injuries despite treatment has caused profound shock and grief," Annamalai, an IPS officer-turned-politician, wrote on X on Monday. Annamalai was referring to a case reported from the SIPCOT Industrial Estate in Gummidipoondi near Chennai, where a three-year-old girl died at Stanley Government Hospital after allegedly being sexually assaulted. The child, belonging to a migrant worker family residing in the industrial area, went missing on Sunday and was later found injured in a nearby bush. She was initially treated at the government hospital in Gummidipoondi before being shifted to Chennai for advanced care, where she later succumbed to her injuries. Police arrested 19-year-old Bipin Manjhi, a native of Bihar, in connection with the crime. In the same post on X, Annamalai also cited another case involving the alleged sexual harassment of a 10-year-old girl in Athanur village in Kanchipuram district. The accused, identified as 43-year-old Jaishanth, is a migrant worker from Bihar, according to reports. "A person from a North Indian state who sexually harassed a 10-year-old child in Athanur, Kanchipuram district, has also been arrested. Over the past few months, there has been a noticeable increase in the involvement of individuals from North Indian states in crimes occurring across various parts of Tamil Nadu," Annamalai said.
The BriefWire