Former IPS officer and ex-Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai on Wednesday invoked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2011 “waged a war against the Central government” remark to defend his criticism of the Centre over the detention of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protesters in New Delhi, amid a fresh round of attacks from BJP supporters over his stand.
In a post on X, Annamalai said Modi, then Gujarat Chief Minister, had made the remark while condemning the midnight police crackdown on anti-corruption protesters at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan in 2011.
He said Modi had been right to make the statement, adding that questioning alleged violations of due process in a democracy should not invite attacks or accusations of being a foreign agent.
"In 2011, the then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, stated that if his hands had not been tied, he would have gone to Delhi and waged a war against the Central government", he noted.
"In my opinion, what the Hon PM said then was absolutely right, and there is nothing wrong about it".
"Today, you could be jailed indefinitely; your surety bonds could be rejected; and, surprisingly, a Special Executive Magistrate will play circles around you when he/ she is empowered to deal with preventive bond cases".
"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," Annamalai said in his post.
"Ever since I asked the Central Government to speak with the protestors during the NEET exam protests, I have faced constant attacks, 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 further said.
Referring to his press meet the previous day, he said, "I questioned the Delhi Police’s methods of detaining protestors of CJP".
After this press meet the attacks have resumed as expected, he said.
For some in the BJP, let me make this categorically clear, in case you have selective amnesia: I left the BJP on June 5, 2026.
"For some in the BJP, let me make this categorically clear, in case you have selective amnesia: I left the BJP on June 5, 2026." he said.
"As I mentioned yesterday, I might not agree with the tactics of the CJP, and I think many of theirs are misguided. But if you ask me whether they have a right to oppose/argue/protest on an issue that they think is important, I would categorically say - YES," he asserted.
"So, I would like people to ask the questions again, even if it makes some of them uncomfortable, and I wish the Central Government would answer them instead of resorting to whataboutism," he argued.
(With inputs from PTI)
