We The Leaders movement founder K. Annamalai has announced that the organisation will soon be transformed into a political party. Speaking at a Vaigai Sirpi awards function held in Madurai on Sunday to honour volunteers involved in cleaning the Vaigai River, Annamalai outlined the organisation’s environmental activities, membership drive and proposed political expansion, while also commenting on several issues concerning Tamil Nadu politics and governance.
We The Leaders to Become Political Party Soon, Says Annamalai
K. Annamalai, We The Leaders movement, Madurai, Vaigai River, Vaigai Sirpi awards, volunteers involved in the river-cleaning initiative;
Cleaning work carried out across 33 acres, including the area where Kallazhagar enters the Vaigai, 163 tonnes of waste collected according to Annamalai, volunteers honoured at the event;
Movement established with the stated objective of creating a new political approach and renewed public participation, 1.017 million saplings reportedly planted, membership said to have crossed two million;
Annamalai commented on Jallikattu, language policy, Meenakshi Amman Temple Kumbabishekam passes and the temple’s mobile-phone restriction, presenting his positions on the issues;
At the Madurai event, Annamalai presented Vaigai Sirpi awards to volunteers who participated in the organisation’s river-cleaning activities. He said cleaning work had been carried out since August 3 across a 33-acre stretch of the Vaigai, including the area where the annual Kallazhagar festival takes place. According to his statement, around 163 tonnes of waste had been collected through the initiative.
Annamalai said We The Leaders was launched with the stated objective of creating a new political approach and generating renewed public participation in Tamil Nadu. He said the organisation had planted 1.017 million saplings and that its membership had crossed two million. The organisation’s own website currently reports more than 1.95 million registered leaders and records more than 10 lakh saplings planted as part of its statewide environmental campaign.
He also spoke about remarks attributed to the Cholavandan MLA concerning Jallikattu and discussed the importance of promoting the Tamil language while continuing to learn other languages. He criticised the arrangements surrounding the Meenakshi Amman Temple Kumbabishekam, including pass distribution, public access, vehicle parking around the temple streets and the restriction on mobile phones. These were presented as Annamalai’s political criticisms and allegations rather than independently established findings.
On ideological issues, Annamalai said he accepted some of Periyar’s positions, including women’s rights and opposition to caste discrimination, but did not accept atheism or opposition to Brahmins. He also said that if his movement came to power, a rationalist inscription near the Srirangam temple would be removed.
Annamalai further criticised Chief Minister Vijay’s overseas trip for attracting investments, arguing that the state government should instead engage industrialists in cities such as Coimbatore and Madurai and promote industrial expansion within Tamil Nadu. He also said the existing state government should be given one year and that his own government would similarly require one year if it came to power.
Annamalai said the organisation would soon become a political party and called for 30,000 members to be enrolled in every Assembly constituency as part of its proposed expansion.
