CHENNAI: DMK president and Chief Minister MK Stalin has been keenly tracking the progress of the ‘Oraniyil Tamil Nadu’ campaign, making random video calls to functionaries in the field for updates and seeking explanations, wherever necessary, from party functionaries of each Assembly constituency attending the ‘Udanpirappe Vaa’ one-on-one meetings.
“Stalin receives up-to-date status reports every day detailing the performance of each union, district and functionaries both those excelling and those lagging. He uses these reports during his one-on-one meetings with constituency-wise functionaries,” said a source.
Under ‘Oraniyil Tamil Nadu’, the party has plans to reach approximately 2 crore households in 45 days. A team of party cadre along with a digital agent, a youth and a woman will visit every house within their respective polling booths across the state’s 68,000 booths.
The party functionaries carry a questionnaire leaflet containing six ‘Yes-or-No’ questions.
They are read aloud to members of each household and the appropriate boxes are ticked based on the response. While the leaflet includes a question asking whether the respondent wished to join the ‘Oraniyil Tamil Nadu’ campaign, answering ‘Yes’ to this does not mean they would automatically be enrolled as a party member.
B Prakash, youth wing secretary of Chennai West district, said, “We make sure to specifically ask respondents if they wish to join as party members. If they agree, an OTP is sent to their registered mobile number through our mobile application. Only if they provide the OTP can we enrol them. This ensures genuine membership.
From our two days of experience in the campaign, we can confidently say that in almost every family, at least one person has benefited from at least one of the government’s schemes, be it the Kalaignar Mahalir Urimai Thittam, Naan Mudhalvan, or other such initiatives.”
For Thousand Lights MLA Ezhilan Naganathan, who carried out door-to-door campaigning in the Gopalapuram area starting from the residence of late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, it was an opportunity to gauge the political mood of the people and understand local civic issues and other grievances.
Regarding the interactions, he said, “Some residents asked about the hike in power tariff and property tax. We explained that the revision in power tariff became mandatory after the state signed up for the UDAY scheme under the AIADMK regime. Similarly, the revision of property tax is a stipulation from the union government. When we explain this, people understand.”
Questions under‘Oraniyil Tamil Nadu’
1 Do you believe that Tamil Nadu’s soil, language, and dignity must be protected under any circumstance?
2 Should Mahalir Urimai Thogai and welfare schemes for farmers, fishermen, weavers, and other sections continue?
3Should the future of Tamil Nadu and its youth be safeguarded against NEET-like entrance exams, unfair delimitation, denial of education funds, and the state’s rightful share of taxes?
4Should our state be governed by a Chief Minister who does not bow to Delhi’s authority and protects TN’s rights?
5Do you believe that an experienced leader like MK Stalin alone can ensure these goals and provide a stable government?
6Do you and your family wish to join hands with crores of families in the state under ‘Oraniyil Tamil Nadu’?