On July 28, 2023, Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai started his ‘En Mann En Makkal’ (My Land My People) road show from the temple town of Rameswaram. It was flagged off by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Over the next six months, Annamalai will tour 234 Assembly segments, covering all the 39 parliamentary constituencies in the State. He will be holding about 10 massive public meetings in different cities, and will be interacting with the locals. The yatra is expected to conclude in January 2024 in Chennai, well ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
The mission of this yatra is to highlight the achievements of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, and to expose the alleged corruption and failure of the DMK government led by M.K. Stalin in Tamil Nadu.
In the past, political leaders in Tamil Nadu, including Vaiko, M. Karunanidhi, Stalin and L. Murugan have held roadshows. While these yatras did create a buzz, they did not catapult them to the seat of power.
So, what can Annamalai, an ex-IPS officer, achieve through his ‘En Mann En Makkal’ road show? What should he guard against?
Script and presentation: D. Suresh Kumar
Videography: Thamodharan Bharath
Production: Shibu Narayan
