'Under Annamalai leadership women are not safe': Suspended Tamil Nadu BJP leader Gayathri Raguramm quits party

Forty days after she was suspended from the party, actor Gayathri Raguramm on Tuesday quit the Tamil Nadu BJP squarely blaming state unit chief K Annamalai for her decision. Raguramm, who joined the BJP in 2014, alleged that women in the BJP are not safe under Annamalai’s leadership and blamed his supporters for trolling her on social media.

The actor was suspended from the BJP on November 22 after she publicly criticised Annamalai’s decision to induct Surya Siva, son of DMK MP Tiruchi Siva, after he verbally abused a woman leader of the party over a phone call.

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Raguramm’s major grievance is that Annamalai’s supporters target her “unduly” on social media and troll heavily. She has also been accusing the former Karnataka-cadre IPS officer of protecting people who abuse women in the BJP.

“I have taken the decision with heavy heart to resign from TNBJP for not giving opportunity for an enquiry, equal rights & respect for women. Under Annamalai leadership women are not safe. I feel better to be trolled as an outsider,” she wrote on her Twitter page. Raguramm tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP chief J P Nadda, and general secretary B L Santhosh in the tweet.

She alleged that nobody in the TN BJP cares about “true party cadres” and the only goal seem to be to chase them away. “I wish the best for BJP… I took this hasty decision & credit goes to Annamalai. Further I want to care less about Annamalai. He is cheap tactic liar and adharmic leader,” she said.

Raguramm was feeling side-lined in the BJP after Annamalai took over and was stripped from the post of head of the cultural wing. However, she was made in charge of another wing, but she wasn’t happy.

The actor also alleged that she is in possession of audio and video tapes of alleged abuse of women by men in the BJP. “I am ready to raise a police complaint and will surrender all videos and audios. And to further investigate Annamalai,” she wrote.

Narayanan Thirupathy, BJP vice-president and spokesman, said the allegations levelled by Raguramm against the party are “untrue” and that she was welcome to release any proof that she has to prove her allegations.

“First of all, she was suspended from the party on grounds of indiscipline and she is making all sorts of allegations as she is not able to tolerate the action taken by our state chief. She was the one who first went public about party affairs and she is welcome to release any tapes. Nobody is stopping her. Let her prove what she says is true,” Thirupathy added.