CTR Nirmal Kumar quits BJP, joins AIADMK

CHENNAI: State president of IT and social media of BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit CTR Nirmal Kumar on Sunday quit the party and joined the AIADMK. He joined the prime opposition party in the presence of the party’s interim general secretary and leader of the opposition, Edappadi K. Palaniswami.

It was a major setback for the state unit of the Saffron Party. It further lent credibility to the claims of the sources in the party that it was the outcome of the year-old cold war between state party chief K Annamalai and Nirmal Kumar.

Nirmal Kumar took to social media to announce his decision. "I travelled with the party for the last one and a half years, despite facing a lot of problems and embarrassments. Despite working honestly and dedicatedly, only anguish remains! " He said, quipping the message with "goodbye". He also attached a one-page letter to his supporters to explain why he took the decision.

He resigned from all his party posting and responsibilities.

Nirmal Kumar squarely blamed the state leader of the party for his decision and charged that the state chief ill-treated party cadres and cheated them for his personal benefits.

In a strongly worded statement, Nirmal Kumar said he decided to bid adieu to the party after working hard and truthfully for the party’s growth without expecting in return. “It's my duty to explain to those who had faith in me and worked along with me all these years,” he said.

Hinting that state president K Annamalai was responsible for his decision, Nirmal Kumar the person at the helm of the state ill-treated the party cadres and functionaries and snooped on them. “The party is travelling on the path of disaster due to his one-man show attitude, without considering the party and its cadres' wellbeing and growth. The party structure had deteriorated badly from 2019 as he was not bothered about strengthening it,” he said.

The party leader overtly showed that he was vehemently opposing a DMK minister from his region, but he has a discrete understanding, Nirmal further said. “As a whole, he was worse than the Dravidian Model ministers. The person who is a #420malai is dangerous not only to the state BJP, but also to the state,” he further said and wondered how one can travel under the leadership of a person who cheats his party and its cadres?

C T R Nirmal Kumar told DT Next that Annamalai was the sole reason for his decision to quit the party. If Annamalai continues to head the state unit, more functionaries of the BJP’s TN unit will exit the party. The former IPS officer brought total chaos to the TN BJP unit.