Is Power Centralised in the BJP? What Do Annamalai’s Criticisms Mean?

After remaining remarkably quiet and focusing on his own work without uttering a word against the party for years following his exit from the BJP, former leader K. Annamalai has now mounted a sharp attack on the party. He stated that decision-making has become strictly centralized in Delhi and argued that lower-level and state leaders should be empowered with more authority.
Former BJP leader Annamalai severely criticized the “Gujarat Model” of development. He argued that massive investments, tech projects, and national-level events should not be restricted to just a single state. Highlighting that the BJP’s decision-making framework has become increasingly “Delhi-centric,” he called for granting greater decision-making powers to state-level leadership.
“I feel that the BJP’s decisions are becoming Delhi-centric, which is very unfortunate. That situation must change,” Annamalai remarked. He questioned why major investments and national events are systematically concentrated in Gujarat and suggested that this Gujarat-centric model of Delhi-led development needs a shift.
“You cannot have AI companies, wafer/semiconductor manufacturing units, the 2030 Commonwealth Games, the 2030 Police Games, and the 2036 Olympic Games all heading to Ahmedabad. Such a ‘Gujarat model’ approach is unacceptable for nationwide development,” he stated.
Annamalai’s comments come amid a broader political debate over Gujarat’s growing dominance in attracting major investments and events. The issue sparked intense political controversy back in 2022 when the ₹1.54-lakh-crore Vedanta-Foxconn semiconductor project was allocated to Gujarat, even as other state governments were in talks with the companies. This triggered a heated political row over whether Maharashtra had lost out on the project, leading to a war of words and mutual allegations between the state government and the opposition.