DMK dist secretaries meet on May 28

CHENNAI: The ruling DMK has called for a meeting of its district secretaries on Saturday, May 28 to discuss the preparations for the 99th birth anniversary of the party’s former president M Karunanidhi on June 3.

DMK general secretary Duraimurugan on Monday announced that party president cum chief minister M K Stalin would chair the meeting to be held at party headquarters Anna Arivalayam at 10.30 on Saturday.

Though the ensuing birth anniversary of Karunanidhi has been cited as the agenda of the meeting, the DMK leadership is expected to take stock of the setbacks suffered by the ruling party in the backdrop of the state government making a U-turn on the Pattanapravesham of the pontiff of Dharmapuram mutt, ban on observing the Mullivaikkal massacre anniversary and establishment of cowsheds, which annoyed its core Dravidian constituency in the state.

The meeting also happens in the backdrop of rumoured cabinet reshuffle, precisely, induction of DMK youth wing secretary cum Chepauk-Triplicane MLA Udhayanidhi Stalin into the state cabinet.

The DMK high command is also understood to be keen on making some organizational changes in the party like reducing the number of party districts, which has been doing the rounds in the party circles of late.

The seeming friction caused by the recent release of Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convict Perarivalan to the ties between DMK and Congress could also be among the issues discussed in the meeting.

However, unlike previous such meetings, this week’s meeting could lack the usual fireworks as the high command has already announced its candidates for the biennial Rajya Sabha election scheduled for June 10.