Cautioning his party’s newly-elected representatives of local bodies against “getting lured by enticements dangled by the ruling dispensation to indulge in corruption”, DMK president M.K. Stalin on Friday invoked the names of late leaders M. Karunanidhi and C.N. Annadurai to administer an oath extracting their resolve to render public services with an upright outlook.
Mr. Stalin asked them to keep vigil to ensure there was no graft in (floating and awarding of) tenders.
“The AIADMK is keen on causing disrepute to the DMK. Your single-point focus must be to earn the goodwill of people and bring back DMK to power in the 2021 Assembly elections,” he told a gathering of a little over 6,500 representatives of village panchayats, panchayat unions, and district panchayats. “Now that history has been created through the party’s brilliant performance in the local body elections despite being in the Opposition, persevere with the impediments that could be caused by the ruling party until 2021 Assembly elections whereafter the DMK government will fulfil your requirements,” he said.
Role model
Referring to “development works” undertaken during his stint as Mayor for two terms in the Chennai and as Minister for Local Bodies, Mr. Stalin sought to cite himself as a role model in according priority for public interface. “Late Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) himself was awestruck by my public-mindedness. My administrative efficiency was appreciated by persons of impeccable repute such as late C. Subramanian and senior CPI leader Nallakannu, and the reputed national daily The Hindu,” Mr. Stalin said.
Hinting that the DMK would move the court, Mr. Stalin slammed Environment Minister K.C. Karuppannan over the latter’s statement that the State government would allocate less funds to local bodies won by the DMK.
Mr. Stalin urged the elected representatives to refer to party’s handbook about their duties, rights and power. Copies of the handbook were distributed to all participants at the conference.
