IPS Officer turns Politician: The previous IPS officer Annamalai Kuppuswamy in Karnataka, popularly called ‘Singam’ quit the police in May 2019, has formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, 25 August, at 1 pm in an occasion in New Delhi.
Annamalai said he saw himself as a natural slot in the BJP. Consistent with him he’s closely aligned with the larger vision of the BJP. He will certainly help grow the party in Tamil Nadu.
He said he didn’t consider joining the Dravidian parties, which have a duopoly over politics in Tamil Nadu. He felt that the Dravidian parties aren’t faithful their original mission of bringing about change.
Consistent with him when he was a policeman, his master was the Constitution of India and he wasn’t going against the Constitution, but now he has the right opportunity to present his views precisely
His decision to hitch the BJP comes after he gave multiple interviews to the Tamil media, clearly stating that his political plunge will come later and not anytime soon.
He had said that his first priority is to support and strengthen the grassroots in his native town in terms of agriculture and education then consider electoral politics.
He has also been a vocal supporter of Modi’s decisions just like the demonetization and therefore the Goods and Services Tax (GST) which he is consistent with.
BJP’s diary in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu’s politics over the past half century has been dominated by the 2 Dravidian parties, the AIADMK and therefore the DMK.
The BJP has been trying to determine relevance in Tamil Nadu’s political arena since the demise of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and also after the death of the five-time Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.
However, BJP’s efforts in Tamil Nadu did not translate into votes during elections. Despite the BJP’s dismal diary within the southern state, Annamalai is predicted to figure based in either Coimbatore or Chennai before the 2021 Assembly elections.
Career as a policeman
He’s a graduate of PSG College of Technology in Coimbatore and Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow. Annamalai is native of Karur in Tamil Nadu.
He was first posted as the assistant Superintendent of Police, Karkala sub-division in Udupi district in 2013. He was later promoted to SP of Udupi on 1 January 2015.
Upon taking charge, he earned a reputation for cracking down on criminal activities within the coastal district. He was also popularly mentioned as the ‘Singam’ of Udupi. He earned fame for his handling of the sensitive Baba Budangiri issue.
In the year 2017, December a peace-keeping meeting between members of Hindu and Muslim communities following incidents of vandalism at the famous Baba Budangiri shrine within the district organized by him.
The shrine may be a pilgrimage site for both Hindus and Muslims. In 2018, Annamalai was given his transfer orders to require charge as SP of Ramanagara district within hours of BS Yeddyurappa becoming the chief minister of Karnataka. JD(S) and Congress legislators were put up during a resort in Ramanagara at the time.
The transfer, however, never materialized since Yeddyurappa relinquished his post within two days. Annamalai was then made the DCP of Bengaluru (South) in October of an equivalent year, capping an interesting rise through the police ranks within the state.
