K Annamalai clarified on Thursday that he does not support the Cockroach Janta Party despite criticising the Centre’s recent crackdown on their protests. "We never support the Cockroach Janta Party. Their agenda is different, and ours is different," he said. He insisted that authorities must follow the law during arrests.
K Annamalai, who criticised the Centre's crackdown on protests by the Cockroach Janta Party, underlined that his remarks should not be construed as his support for the Abhijeet Dipke-led outfit.
A day after K Annamalai set tongues wagging by criticising the Centre's crackdown on protests by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), the former Tamil Nadu BJP chief clarified that his remarks should not be construed as his support for the Abhijeet Dipke-led outfit. Speaking at an event held by his 'We the Leaders' movement on Thursday, Annamalai batted in all directions - from criticising the Centre, praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to backing the cause behind the CJP protests.
"We never support the Cockroach Janta Party. Their agenda is different, and ours is different," Annamalai, who quit the BJP earlier this year to start his own political initiative, said. However, in the same vein, he asserted that every political party had the right to fight in a democracy.
WHAT ANNAMALAI SAID ON CJP PROTESTS?
The former IPS officer, known for his raw and unfiltered remarks, came under BJP fire after he castigated the October 10 police action against CJP protesters who were demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
Taking a swipe at the BJP on Thursday, Annamalai emphasised that he did not need lectures from anyone on patriotism.
"I have experience living and working in many states of the country. I know India's unity and sovereignty. Therefore, no one needs to lecture me on patriotism," he said.
Annamalai also stressed that authorities should proceed in accordance with the law if the CJP protesters had committed any wrongdoing, rather than adopting a vindictive approach.
"We believe that arrests must be carried out in accordance with the law and due procedure," Annamalai underlined.
"If there is a threat to the country's sovereignty, you have all the institutions - IB, RAW. Use them, put them behind bars. Do not manufacture bogeys on Twitter (X)," he further said.
However, in the same vein, Annamalai emphasised that attempts to undermine public faith in democratic institutions, including the Election Commission and the Supreme Court, cannot be accepted.
While he praised PM Modi for "doing good work", it came with a rider. "Modi is a good PM, who is doing good work," Annamalai said.
"However, while supporting the Prime Minister, we will not hesitate to question anything we believe is wrong," he further said.
ANNAMALAI VS BJP WAR OF WORDS
The remarks come amid an escalating war of words between Annamalai and his former party.
Earlier this week, Annamalai said that while he disagreed with the CJP's tactics, which he called as "misguided", he defended its right to oppose the government. He also condemned the detention of CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka and questioned the Delhi Police's handling of the case.
He also invoked a 2011 remark by Modi, then the Chief Minister of Gujarat.
According to Annamalai, Modi had said he would have gone to Delhi and "waged a war" against the Centre over the police crackdown on anti-corruption protesters at Ramlila Maidan.
Annamalai underlined that while Modi was right to speak out at the time, he questioned why a similar scrutiny of the current government was now being met with arrests and detentions.
Taking a further swipe at the BJP, Annamalai questioned whether it was inadvertently helping CJP expand its national reach. He referred to a cockroach effigy being burnt during Dussehra celebrations at a Ramlila in Delhi. The event was organised under the leadership of BJP MLA Ashok Goel.
"Is the BJP opposing the CJP or giving it free publicity," he questioned. Annamalai also asserted that the BJP was "trying to manufacture enemies" despite being in power for 12 years.
The remarks invited a stinging criticism from Tamil Nadu BJP spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy. Thirupathy argued that Annamalai's questions blur the line between "peaceful protest" and "deliberate law-breaking".
"Annamalai left the BJP in June 2026. He is free to criticise," he further said.