A day after former BJP State president and ‘We The Leaders’ convenor K. Annamalai posted a sharp critique of the Union government’s handling of the protests in Jantar Mantar, he reiterated the points of his ‘X’ post here at the We The Leaders Women’s Development Conference in Krishnagiri on Thursday (October 22).

Mr. Annamalai, however, batted in all directions – criticising the Union government, praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, patronising the protesters, and bashing the Opposition.

“If there’s a threat to the country’s sovereignty, you have all the institutions – IB, Raw; use them, put them behind bars. Do not manufacture bogeys on Twitter (X),” he said.

His criticism of the government, however, exempted the Prime Minister. “Modi [is] a good PM, who was doing good work. ‘We The Leaders’ will not support the CJP, but will support the CJP’s right to protest, as it would support the DMK’s right to protest.”

He also hit out at the Congress, claiming that “the party had slept through SIR and woken up from its slumber 6 months after the elections”.

On the institutions coming into criticisms from the Opposition and the CJP, the former BJP leader said: “Everybody else has to live in this country and to cast out institutions in one brush is wrong.”

According to Mr. Annamalai, Tamil Nadu has seen negative growth in the per capita GST in August-September this year compared with the corresponding period last year. Tamil Nadu was in the third place and would fall further down during the next 10 years unless the export-led assembly line industrial growth model was changed.

DMK’s 10% growth was an export led growth, but the per capital GST is the indicator of the growth in the local economy, which has clearly fallen, Mr. Annamalai said. “The growth percentage was propped by assembly industries such as [the assembly of ] Apple’s iPhone, the export of which had no value to the local economy.”

“Haryana’s per capital GST had increased by 18% [and] U.P.’s by 12%,” Mr. Annamalai said. The negative growth in the GST is an indicator of the local economic growth, wherein income generating industry and its tax revenue for the government was falling. “If Tamil Nadu made ₹100 last year, this year it has only made ₹99,” according to Mr. Annamalai.

He also took a swipe at the TVK government’s “photo-shoot expenditure” for Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay. “Spending ₹6 crore to open a library or crores [of rupees] to open Mettur dam has no utility for the State.”

Earlier, the event witnessed formation of Tharagai, a women’s collective that would liaise with eight SHGs, provide a platform to market their produce and eventually help create their brand. “The sure way to women’s development and safety is in their financial freedom,” Mr. Annamalai added.

According to Mr. Annamalai, the goal is to seek power, and the immediate road forward was the local body elections. The organisation has all hues of ideology among its members and that they should aim to get 35% of votes.