CHENNAI: The DMK leadership has intensified its efforts to reach out to people ahead of the upcoming urban local body polls. According to party insiders, Health minister Ma Subramanian will soon hold a 14-day-camp in his Saidapet assembly constituency to listen to people’s grievances.
One of the party functionaries in Saidapet told TNIE, “The programme has been scheduled to address all the grievances before the dates of the urban local body elections are announced. Through the 14 days, the minister will visit all the wards in the constituency, and spend around 70 hours there.” The grievances identified would be forwarded to the authorities with proper instructions to address them at the earliest, the functionary added.
Another source from the party said all the ministers and MLAs of the party have been asked to carry out such massive public hearings in their respective assembly constituencies in general, and in urban areas in particular.
The functionaries have also gone the extra mile to woo the urban voters, as they distributed sweets and clothes to people ahead of the Deepavali festival. Despite it being against the ideology of the DMK to encourage the celebration of Deepavali, Mylapore MLA T Velu offered a gift hamper to 100 cadres of the party last week.
According to the party mouthpiece Murasoli, ministers PK Sekar babu and Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi also presented Deepavali gifts to party cadres and the public. Commenting on the DMK’s move, one of the State-level functionaries of the party, on condition of anonymity, said “We never compromise our ideology. At the same time, we never impose our ideology on others. We always urge people to think about the reason and logic behind every festival in all religions. But, if the people wish to celebrate the festival, we have to assist them. Our party cadre extend their helping hands to the needy.”