CHENNAI: BJP State president K Annamalai on Wednesday defended Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the Ambedkar row, saying that Shah did not say anything wrong.

He also accused the opposition parties including Congress of using Ambedkar's name for political gain.

Talking to reporters here, Annamalai said, "I see Ambedkar in the same way as I see Lord Murugan."

He also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for following Ambedkar's principles and speaking about his thoughts in public forums.

The BJP leader also demanded recognition for Tamil Nadu's sports achievers.

He commended Gukesh and Khazima over their achievements and demanded a grand function to honour cricket champion Ravichandran Ashwin, who had played over 500 Test cricket matches.

Taking a swipe at the ruling DMK government, the former IPS officer said it had failed to address the state's real issues and was dysfunctional.

"The real issues are not being discussed in Tamil Nadu. The entire government machinery is dysfunctional. The Stalin-led state government has not been able to do anything meaningful. People of Tamil Nadu will think and vote to unseat the DMK in 2026," he said.

He accused the DMK of labelling anyone opposing them as BJP's A team or B team or C team.

Annamalai also targeted the Congress party, saying they had belittled Ambedkar and delayed his Bharat Ratna award until 1980.