K Annamalai, the Tamil Nadu BJP president who recently found himself at the centre of a political storm after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray mockingly referred to him as “Rasmalai,” has responded with an open challenge, escalating the war of words ahead of Maharashtra’s crucial civic elections.
Reacting to alleged threats issued against him, Annamalai struck a defiant note. “Some people have written that my legs will be chopped off if I come to Mumbai. I will come to Mumbai, try chopping off my legs. If I were scared of such threats, I would have stayed back in my village,” he said, asserting that Thackeray’s remark amounted to an insult to Tamilians.
The controversy erupted after Annamalai, campaigning in Maharashtra, described Mumbai as not merely the capital of Maharashtra but the financial capital of India and an international city that must be run by competent leadership. Pitching for a BJP-led civic administration, he argued that Mumbai requires a “triple-engine government”—a BJP mayor in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the state, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre.
“Mumbai is a global metropolis with a budget exceeding ₹40,000 crore. Compare that to Bengaluru’s ₹19,000 crore and Chennai’s ₹8,000 crore budgets. Managing such finances demands capable administrators,” Annamalai said, underlining the BJP’s pitch for civic control.
His remarks triggered sharp reactions from opposition parties, most notably from Raj Thackeray, who questioned Annamalai’s standing in Maharashtra with a jibe steeped in regional identity politics. “One rasmalai has come from Tamil Nadu… what is your connection to this place? Hatao lungi, bajao pungi,” Thackeray said, invoking an old Shiv Sena slogan from the 1960s and 1970s.
Unfazed, Annamalai hit back, dismissing the personal attacks and threats. “Who are Raj Thackeray and Aditya Thackeray to threaten me? I am proud to be a farmer’s son. They are holding meetings only to abuse me. I don’t even know when I became so important,” he remarked.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stepped in to back Annamalai, reiterating that Mumbai is indeed an international city. In an apparent attempt to defuse tensions, Fadnavis advised, “Do not take Raj Thackeray seriously.”
The verbal sparring comes at a sensitive political moment, with elections to 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra—including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Pune Municipal Corporation and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation—scheduled for January 15. Votes will be counted on January 16, with the outcome expected to significantly shape the state’s urban political landscape.
