Chennai: Former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai has criticised the Central government’s handling of protests organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), defending the group’s right to protest on issues it considers important. In a post on X, he also called it “honestly tiring and boring” to see protests and statements against the Centre labelled “anti-national and funded by forces outside”.
Annamalai cited a 2011 statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was then the Gujarat Chief Minister. According to Annamalai, Modi had said he would have gone to Delhi and “waged a war” against the Central government over the police crackdown on anti-corruption protesters at Ramlila Maidan.
Annamalai said he believed Modi’s position at the time was correct and saw nothing wrong with the sentiment. However, he argued that those protesting against the government today risked being jailed indefinitely, with their sureties rejected. “If you question the violation of due process of law in a democracy, you would be called names, and a barrage of attacks would follow, including being labelled a Foreign Agent,” he said.
His remarks came after BJP supporters criticised him for condemning the detention of CJP protesters and questioning the Delhi Police’s handling of the case. Speaking to mediapersons on Tuesday, Annamalai had said that he disagreed with the group’s tactics and considered some of its positions misguided, but defended its right to oppose the government.
In his X post on Wednesday, Annamalai said “attacks have resumed” following his press interaction. Addressing those in the BJP whom he accused of “selective amnesia”, he pointed out that he had left the party on 5 June 2026.
In 2011, then Gujarat Chief Minister Thiru @narendramodi avl said that if his hands were not tied, he would have gone to Delhi and waged war against the central government. Thiru Narendra Modi avl made this statement in response to the police crackdown on the peaceful…
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) October 21, 2026
He also recalled facing “constant attacks” after urging the Central government to engage with protesters during the agitation against the NEET examination in Tamil Nadu. “…but I let them pass because I felt it was important to focus on the issues on the ground in Tamil Nadu. I also, in a way, enjoyed this as it would quickly remove the tag of me being a BJP B Team and sent to TN as a Dhurandhar,” he wrote.
Questions over Delhi Police’s handling of CJP protesters
Annamalai questioned the decision to denotify Jantar Mantar as a protest site after CJP sought permission to hold a demonstration there.
He also raised concerns over an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) acting as a Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) in preventive-bond proceedings involving protesters detained by the Delhi Police, which was also the complainant in the case. Referring to the judicial custody proceedings involving CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, he said, “The ACP of Delhi Police stands over the trial where Delhi Police is the complainant against the accused CJP.”
Das and Ranka were arrested after entering Jantar Mantar with the national flag, after the site was denotified as a protest venue. Annamalai questioned the circumstances surrounding a recent bail hearing, alleging that the SEM had deliberately arrived late before recusing himself, citing a threat to his life. “Is this some kind of a joke?” he asked.
He also questioned why eight sureties had been rejected and why a person who volunteered to stand surety had been subjected to cross-examination.
Das and Ranka were released on Wednesday after spending seven days in judicial custody, following their move to the Delhi High Court.
‘Free publicity for CJP’
Taking a further swipe at the BJP, Annamalai questioned whether the party was inadvertently helping CJP expand its reach. He referred to a cockroach effigy in Delhi Ramlila to be burnt during Dussehra celebrations, which he said was organised under the leadership of BJP MLA Ashok Goel. He asked who was providing the group with publicity at the national level.
“Is the BJP opposing the CJP or giving it free publicity?” Annamalai asked, arguing that the party’s actions could help CJP gain greater visibility and potentially split opposition votes. He added that the organisation could not have asked for a better public relations team, even if it had paid for one.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke had also thanked the organisers of the Ramlila celebrations for the “free publicity” after they announced plans to burn the cockroach effigy alongside that of the demon king Ravan.
Annamalai also criticised what he described as the tendency to label protests and statements against the Central government as anti-national or foreign-funded. He pointed out that the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) is administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs and argued that the government had sufficient mechanisms to investigate allegations of foreign funding or links with hostile forces.
“I have a feeling the central government forgets it’s been in power in Delhi for 12 plus years and still manufactures an enemy at all times to keep itself relevant,” he added.
(Edited by Chingkheinganbi Mayengbam)