CHENNAI: DMK functionaries are facing a challenge in meeting the leadership’s target of enrolling 50,000 new members in each Assembly constituency ahead of the birth centenary celebrations of former chief minister M Karunanidhi on June 3.
Despite all efforts, most district functionaries have managed to enrol only around 25,000 members per constituency, and pressure from the party leadership to meet the target has opened the risk of persons with unverified backgrounds getting enrolled. To commemorate the birth centenary, the DMK leadership set an overall target of enrolling one crore new members. The party also appointed 234 functionaries as observers for each constituency.
In this situation, Chief Minister MK Stalin called for a meeting with district secretaries and constituency observers to assess the status of the drive. Based on information received, Stalin expressed concern to 17 district secretaries for their ‘lack of attention’ in fulfilling the task and urged them to expedite the drive. He also encouraged another group of district secretaries and ministers, which had achieved around 60% of the target, to motivate the ground-level cadre.
A functionary from the central districts expressed difficulty saying that the youth wing, women’s wing and students’ wing had already enrolled nearly 10,000 new members from each constituency. Additionally, numerous new members had joined the party since the DMK assumed power, which includes leaders from other parties.
A functionary from the western districts echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing the need for careful screening of prospective members to avoid potential issues owing to criminal activities. It could be troublesome to grant membership to individuals whose background is unknown, especially when the opposition is closely watching the activities of DMK members. The leadership should refrain from pressuring functionaries, he said.
N Jayaraman, a social media activist of the DMK from Ramanathapuram, voiced concern about district functionaries submitting false membership lists. “The leadership should take steps to make the existing members happy with the party and the government. Showcasing numbers alone will not help the party without making any effort to address grievances of existing members and ground-level functionaries,” he said.