K Annamalai calls Jayalalithaa ‘Hindutva leader’
Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai recently spoke about AIADMK supremo and former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, stating that “she was a far superior Hindutva leader than anybody else in Tamil Nadu.”
In a recent interview with PTI, Annamalai stated that he will not allow the BJP to play second fiddle to any political party in Tamil Nadu, where his party has a wonderful opportunity to fill the hole left by the AIADMK’s “drifting away” from Hindutva ideology following Jayalalithaa’s death.
“Now, if you look at it, sir, till Jayalalithaa ji was alive, she was a far superior Hindutva leader than anybody in Tamil Nadu. Pre-2014, when you have a party like the BJP and Jayalalithaa as a leader, the natural choice of a Hindu voter would be Jayalalithaa, who displayed her Hindu identity openly,” Annamalai said.
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He claimed that Jayalalithaa was the first politician in the country, apart from BJP leaders, to support the cause of a Ram temple in Ayodhya and pass an anti-conversion law in Tamil Nadu in 2002-03.
VK Sasikala says Jayalalithaa was people’s leader
In response to Annamalai’s statement, VK Sasikala, a close aide to Jayalalithaa, made a statement claiming that Annamalai’s remarks demonstrate his ignorance and misunderstanding of Jayalalithaa.
Nobody can confine a people’s leader like Jayalalithaa to a little circle, Sasikala stated.
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“She lived her life as a true Dravidian leader, following in Anna and MGR’s footsteps until her death. She was a leader celebrated by all communities, including Hindus, Christians, and Muslims. Amma was a brilliant leader who overcome caste and religious boundaries and dedicated her life to improving the lives of others,” she said.
Sasikala went on to say that while everyone knew Jayalalithaa believed in God, she never adhered to a single religion.
“She was the only leader who treated everyone equally,” Sasikala added.
Meanwhile, AIADMK objected to Annamalai’s reference to Jayalalithaa as a ‘Hindutva leader’.
“All are one, God is one—is one of the ideologies of the AIADMK. Our leader Amma has lived her life based on that ideology. If, according to Annamalai, our leader were to be a great leader of Hindutva but not Modi, I welcome Annamalai to join the AIADMK after June 4. Annamalai’s political identity and relevance won’t be there after the results,” said AIADMK spokesperson Kovai Sathyan.
