K Annamalai, former Tamil Nadu BJP president and founder of the We The Leaders movement, criticised what he described as a Gujarat-centric approach to development under the BJP-led NDA government, arguing that investments, technology projects and major events could not all be concentrated in one state. Gujarat is Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah’s home state, a point Annamalai did not fail to underline.
Annamalai’s plain-speaking critique of his former party, which leads the central government, came at the India Today Tamil Nadu Round Table in Chennai on Monday. The 42-year-old IPS officer-turned-politician said the BJP’s decision-making had become increasingly “Delhi-centric” and called for greater empowerment of state-level leaders.
“I believe the decisions of the BJP are becoming Delhi-centric, so it is very unfortunate. That has to change,” Annamalai said.
He said state-level leaders should be given greater authority to take decisions and act on them.
“Genuinely, they have to empower state-level leaders to make actions. It has to happen,” he said.
Annamalai then took aim at what he called the “Gujarat-centric model of Delhi development”, questioning the concentration of major investments and national events in Gujarat.
“And the Gujarat-centric model of Delhi development has to change a bit,” Annamalai said.
“You can’t have all the AI companies going there or wafer companies going there, 2030 Commonwealth Games going there, 2030 police games going there, 2036 Olympic Games going to Ahmedabad. You cannot have this Gujarat model of all-India development,” he added.
He said the concentration of opportunities in one state could not be the model for India’s development.
“That has to change. People are watching,” Annamalai said.
BIG PROJECTS, POLITICS AND GUJARAT
Annamalai’s remarks come against the backdrop of a wider political debate over Gujarat’s growing role in attracting major investments and events.
It became particularly sharp in 2022, when the proposed Rs 1.54 lakh crore Vedanta-Foxconn semiconductor project was announced for Gujarat after Maharashtra had been in talks with the companies. The decision triggered a political row over whether Maharashtra had lost the project, with the state government and Opposition trading charges over who was responsible.
The Tata-Airbus C-295 aircraft manufacturing project announced for Vadodara soon after also drew criticism from Maharashtra’s Opposition, although the state government disputed the claim that it had been shifted from Maharashtra.
Since then, Gujarat’s position in India’s semiconductor push has only grown. Tata Electronics, Micron and CG Power are among the companies setting up major semiconductor projects in the state, giving Gujarat a prominent place in one of the country’s biggest new manufacturing bets.
The sporting side of the argument has also had its share of controversy. In 2025, the IPL final was shifted from Kolkata’s Eden Gardens to Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, with the BCCI citing the risk of rain in Kolkata. The move triggered a political row in West Bengal, with leaders of the then ruling Trinamool Congress accusing the BCCI of favouring Gujarat and asking why “all the big matches” were going to Ahmedabad.
The controversy added to the growing focus on Ahmedabad as a venue for marquee sporting events. The city is set to host the 2029 World Police and Fire Games and the 2030 Commonwealth Games, while India is pursuing its bid to host the 2036 Olympics with Ahmedabad as the proposed host city.
Taken together, these developments have fuelled a broader political argument over whether Gujarat is getting a disproportionate share of India’s biggest investments and national events. And that seems to be the larger concern behind Annamalai’s criticism. It is not that Gujarat should not get these projects, but whether one state should become the default destination for opportunities being pursued in the name of all-India development.
Later in the discussion, Annamalai spoke about Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay and said the new government should be given time to establish itself.
He said he had seen a “fresh breath” in the first 100 days of the government and believed it was genuinely committed to fighting corruption.
“Mr Vijay is in a very, very tough position. It is not easy to be a CM in Tamil Nadu at this point in time, when the forces are against you,” Annamalai said.
He said Vijay should be given at least a year to govern. “One year we have to give him space. It is our duty to give him the space, duty to help him carry on his vision,” he said.
Annamalai added that Vijay currently had his support. “As of now Vijay has my support because I am doing what a genuine Tamilian should do,” he said.
– Ends
Published By:
Koustav Das
Published On:
Aug 17, 2026 12:49 IST
