DMK anticipates tough fight from BJP in polls

Chennai: Gearing itself up for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the DMK anticipates a tough resistance for the BJP and not from its traditional rival, the AIADMK, as it was evident from the speech of party president M K Stalin at the district secretaries meeting on Saturday.

Addressing the district secretaries and all top leaders of the DMK through video conference, Stalin said that the BJP would be aggressive and try everything to stop the victory of DMK and its allies as the national party was waging a do or die battle.

The BJP would go to any extent to capture power again and the efforts they made would be more intense in Tamil Nadu, where all their steps had failed so far, he said, adding that their anger would hence multiply and be directed at the DMK.

However, he hoped that the DMK would be able to overcome any resistance as it had done in the past and emerge victorious by working hard and also starting the campaign immediately.

Calling up the party leaders to invoke the name of M Karunanidhi in seeking votes, Stalin said that most people had a soft corner for the former Chief Minister who had touched the lives of many people through his schemes and policies.

In the meeting that was primarily called to discuss the arrangements for the Karunanidhi centenary celebrations, he gave them instruction as to how they should hold discussions at all levels including towns and villages and organize events highlighting the principles of the late leader.

He also spoke about the need to be prepared for the elections even now and narrated the steps taken by the party to strengthen the booth committees and to train those members systematically. The first training programme was held for those in the Cauvery delta district at Trichy and the second training had been scheduled for August 17 at Ramanathapuram for those in the southern districts, he said.

The idea was to have a booth committee member in charge of 100 votes at the grassroots level and take the DMK government’s achievements, programmes and welfare schemes to the people at all levels.

Expressing his aspiration for the DMK and its allies to sweep all the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in 2024, he said the booth agents should play a major role in achieving that. He said the party headquarters would monitor the working of the booth committees starting from their appointment itself, he said.