Annamalai's Latest Target: Tamil Nadu Congress Chief Selvaperunthagai

The past few days have seen a war of words between two Tamil Nadu state political chiefs — Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) K Annamalai and Congress' K Selvaperunthagai.

Annamalai called Selvaperunthagai a ‘history sheeter’ while speaking to reporters after paying his last respects to K Armstrong, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) state chief who was murdered recently. 

Taking offence, Selvaperunthagai said Annamalai must apologise or face a defamation suit and that sections of the Prevention of Atrocities Against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes would be invoked.

He said he wasn’t associated with any criminal activities.

He also released a list with 261 names and said the listed individuals were those with criminal backgrounds who had joined the BJP during Annamalai’s tenure.

Annamalai, however, refused to apologise and said he stood by the remarks. He said there were a number of criminal cases against Selvaperunthagai.

Later, Congress workers burnt an effigy of Annamalai. 

While it is not known whether the matter ends here or Selvaperunthagai goes to court at some point, here's a look at his background:

Various allegations

Among the things he has been accused of are an attack on Satyamoorthy Bhavan — the headquarters of the Tamil Nadu Congress — and involvement in the murder of Pandian, a Chennai-based auditor.

Besides being detained under the Goondas Act in the past, there are cases of attempt to murder, criminal intimidation, threats to kill, and assault with dangerous weapons filed against Selvaperunthagai.

A political commentator who spoke with Swarajya said he wasn't surprised to see that Selvaperunthagai allegedly has been involved in such activities. He put it down to the difficulties faced by Dalit leaders in a state dominated by two Dravidian majors.

"After the murder of BSP leader K Armstrong, you would have seen many DMK supporters say that he was no saint and that he used to hold kattapanchayats (kangaroo courts), and indulge in extortion activities.

"This is not entirely untrue. Dalit leaders, especially in north Chennai, are known to be involved in such things. This, unfortunately, is the only way they are able to rise to the top," the commentator noted.

Ironic candidature from Sriperumbudur

Selvaperunthagai was also said to be a supporter of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). His candidature from Sriperumbudur — where Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated — in the 2016 assembly election was called into question as a result.

A senior Congress leader and former Sriperumbudur MLA, D. Yasodha, wrote to Sonia Gandhi opposing Selvaperunthagai's candidacy, but the party still fielded him as an electoral candidate.

A news report on Congress workers’ unhappiness with Selvaperunthagai raised questions about how he allegedly acquired the funds to own and operate a college in London.

The report also showed documents that mentioned his wife as one of the directors of the college.

Party hopping

The Congress is Selvaperunthagai’s fifth political party. He started in Puratchi Bharatham, then moved to the Puthiya Tamizhagam of Dr Krishnasamy.

Later, he found himself with the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) led by Dalit leader Thol Thirumavalavan. In 2006, he became an MLA from Mangalur on a VCK ticket.

After his stint with the VCK, he joined the BSP. From BSP, he moved to the Congress. After failing to win the 2011 and 2016 assembly elections, he finally won in 2021 from Sriperumbudur.

In the Congress, he worked his way up the ranks. He led the party’s Scheduled Caste (SC) wing and subsequently became the party‘s floor leader in the state assembly.

In February 2024, he was elevated to the position of party president after the term of his predecessor, K S Alagiri, had ended. He pipped others in the race, like Sasikanth Senthil and Karur Member of Parliament (MP) S Jothimani.

It is also said that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wanted Selvaperunthagai as the compromise candidate because the state unit was ridden with factionalism. The idea was that it would be difficult to oppose the elevation of a Dalit leader.

Pitching himself as an alternative leader

While any other leader may have been content with becoming the chief of a Congress state unit, Selvaperunthagai is different.

He went as far as questioning how long the party should remain dependent on 'others,' interpreted as a reference to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

Asked about Selvaperunthagai's ambitious nature, the commentator with whom this writer spoke, said, "Through all of this — taking on Annamalai and stating that the Congress should not want to remain dependent — he is trying to portray himself as a big leader at the state level; that is, someone who could be the alternative to Thirumavalavan."

While that may not happen anytime soon, given that neither he nor the VCK can take on the DMK aggressively on Dalit issues, what is to be seen is where his feud with Annamalai ends — in the courts or the newspapers.

He runs the risk of bringing more of his past into the public domain by knocking on the doors of the court.

Also Read: Can the Congress go it alone in Tamil Nadu?