CHENNAI: “I will not let Tamil Nadu bow its head in shame.” With this message, the DMK has directed its functionaries to mobilise families enrolled under the Oraniyil Tamil Nadu membership drive to take a pledge at about 68,000 booths on September 15, the birth anniversary of party founder CN Annadurai. DMK leaders said the Oraniyil TN initiative has registered 2.7 crore members, with seven lakh party workers reaching out to one crore families.
Chief Minister and party president MK Stalin posted the five-point pledge on social media. It reads: “I will protest against the unfair delimitation that will reduce the number of MPs from Tamil Nadu. I will oppose the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) that will deprive voters of their rights.
I will resist NEET and other measures that restrict our youth and will fight for our students’ educational funds. I will stand against any discrimination towards Tamil language, culture and pride. I will demand adequate funds for the welfare of the working class, including farmers, fishermen, weavers and women.” Each pledge concludes with the line: “I will not let Tamil Nadu bow its head in shame.”
DMK MP A Raja and organisation secretary RS Bharathi told reporters at Anna Arivalayam on Thursday that the pledge will also be taken at the party’s Mupperum Vizha in Karur on September 17, followed by public meetings at all district units on September 20 and 21.
Responding to AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami’s criticism of membership drive, Raja said, “He is criticising the initiative out of his own inability. The AIADMK has already bowed before the BJP and now they are attempting to mortgage Tamil Nadu to the BJP.”
On the issue of SIR, Raja said, “When it comes to Tamil Nadu, DMK will fight it legally and also remain vigilant on the ground to prevent any violations.”
When asked about the meeting between AIADMK MLA KA Sengottaiyan and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, he remarked, “Neither of them has disclosed what was discussed. How should we describe this kind of meeting in politics?”