Gayathri Raghuram leaves BJP, claims women unsafe under Annamalai's rule

Gayathri Raghuram, an actor and choreographer, declared on Twitter on January 3 that she is leaving the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) due to a lack of respect for women and the lack of equal opportunity. She said, "Under Annamalai [Tamil Nadu BJP's state president] leadership women are not safe. I feel better to be trolled as an outsider (sic)."

Claiming that "nobody cares about true karyakartas [workers]", Gayathri declared that she still owed her allegiance to Amit Shah, the union home minister, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She further claimed that Annamalai was to blame for her resignation, calling him an "adharmic leader" and a "cheap tactic liar." Gayathri said, "I cannot continue under Annamalai's leadership. Cannot expect social justice."

Gayathri also expressed her gratitude and admiration for her fellow party members in her Twitter thread. Speaking to the female partygoers, Gayathri advised them not to put their faith in anyone to save them and to leave places where they are not respected, the News Minute reported.

Gayathri went on to say that she is prepared to report Annamalai to the police and that he has to be investigated. The actor-turned-politician said that she will provide the police audio and video footage as well, although she made no mention of what was in them.

Gayathri has been suspended from all party duties by Annamalai since November 23 because she "engaged in activities that brought disrepute to the party." Gayathri later clarified that despite her suspension, she will still serve the country and that she is not against the BJP. Gayathri, according to The New Indian Express, claimed that the vice president of the Tamil Nadu BJP's intelligence arm had been trolling her on Twitter and that she had been suspended because she responded to his messages.