K. Annamalai questions BJP response to Cockroach Janata Party protest
The former Tamil Nadu BJP president accused the Union government of manufacturing an enemy and questioned its handling of protesters in New Delhi.
K. Annamalai, the former Tamil Nadu BJP president, accused the BJP-led Union government on October 21 of manufacturing an enemy to stay relevant, as he questioned its handling of a Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protest in New Delhi, The Hindu reported. His criticism put the treatment of protesters and the government’s political response at the centre of a public dispute.
In a post on X recounted by The Hindu, Annamalai asked whether the BJP was opposing the CJP or giving it publicity. He raised the possibility that making the group more prominent could split opposition votes, framing that as a question rather than an established government strategy.
Annamalai’s criticism of the protest response
Annamalai criticised the methods he said Delhi Police had used to detain CJP protesters. He argued that people questioning due process could face prolonged detention, rejected surety bonds and preventive-bond proceedings, along with accusations that they were foreign agents. The Hindu reported those assertions as his account; the police conduct he described was not independently established in the report.
He said he did not agree with some CJP tactics but defended the group’s right to oppose, argue and protest over an issue it considers important. He also said attacks against him had resumed since he began questioning the police response. According to The Hindu, Annamalai said he had previously faced attacks after urging the Centre to talk to anti-NEET protesters.
Annamalai pointed to a 2011 statement by Narendra Modi, then Gujarat chief minister, about going to Delhi in response to a police crackdown on an anti-corruption campaign at Ramlila Maidan. He said Modi had been right to object then, using that precedent to challenge the present government’s approach to protest.
The political dispute over CJP publicity
Annamalai also claimed that BJP legislator Ashok Goel led the burning of a cockroach effigy during Dussehra celebrations. He asked whether that spectacle gave the CJP national publicity and questioned whether the BJP wanted to make the group a bigger player. Those were Annamalai’s claims and questions about the party’s motives, as reported by The Hindu.
Annamalai, whom The Hindu identifies as the founder of We The Leaders, left the BJP on June 5, 2026. News On AIR separately reported his resignation. His comments therefore came from a former state party leader rather than a serving BJP officeholder.
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Sources and context
- Annamalai accuses BJP govt. at the Centre of manufacturing an enemy to stay relevantThe Hindu
- Former Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai resigns from partyNews On AIR
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.