A week after the Anna University sexual assault issue came up and the AIADMK began grabbing the headlines, Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai jumped into the fray and made a resolution saying that he will not wear footwear until the DMK is removed from power. He said, “I am going to whip myself six times in front of my house. In Tamil self flagellation or whipping is a surrender to a higher power. I have taken this decision after much consideration because I believe, after all the hard work of the party and the cadre, it is important to surrender yourself to a larger power and leave the larger power to take care of things.”
Apparently, on December 27 clad in a green dhothi, a shirtless Annamalai whipped himself eight times, in front of his BJP colleagues outside his house in Coimbatore. Talking to the reporters after self-flagellation, Annamalai said, “Flogging ourselves, punishing ourselves, putting ourselves through very tough rituals etc. are all part of this culture. It is not against any person or not against anything. It is against the continuous injustice that’s happening in the state. What has happened in Anna University is only a tipping point.”
Since his return from the UK, after the brief sojourn to study, Annamalai has been maintaining cool and silence with regard to any issues concerning the AIADMK. The man who once said that the AIADMK will be finished after the 2024 Lok Sabha election, on his return from the UK said that there is plenty of time to decide about alliances for the 2026 assembly polls. To everyone’s surprise, Annamalai’s aggression against the AIADMK had completely cooled down. Not just the AIADMK, Annamalai’s usual style of attacking the ruling DMK and his loud press conferences, his commands to the party office bearers were missing after his return.
While it is believed that the UK study tour taught him and shaped him as a leader, the BJP insiders say the real reason for his silence is the recent IT raids at his relatives' place. Sources say that the recent raids in Coimbatore at his relatives' places have made Annamalai maintain silence in most of the issues.
The Income Tax sleuths recently searched over 20 locations, linked to real estate businessman Senthil Kumar from Ottanchatiram near Palani in Dindigul district. The raids extended from Dindigul to several places at Saravanampatti near Coimbatore. At a press conference in Chennai, Annamalai even accepted that Senthil Kumar was related to him, but he never influenced the authorities to stop the raids. “Yes. He is my distant relative. But I won't influence the Income Tax to stop the raids,” Annamalai explained.
However, sources in the BJP say that the documents seized from Senthil Kumar’s place reveal Annamalai’s links in real estate investments and the many businesses run by his family at Saravanampatti in Coimbatore. “ Delhi had plans to summon Annamalai and question him about his real estate investment links. But his self-whipping drama halted all the actions. Delhi has put on hold the enquiry episode. He had a meeting with Amit Shah recently. But they wont move him or take action against him now,” says a senior leader.
Annamalai’s self-flagellation had not just helped position himself firmly as the pertinent fighter against the Dravidian parties in the state, but also fight his own party's high command and retain his leadership position.