The removal of six district secretaries by the DMK high-command in the wake of the party’s defeat in the Assembly election has turned the focus on the diminishing importance of a post that was once considered the lynchpin of the party organisation.
The high-command has acted on the report of a team that visited the districts to analyse the reason for the party’s poor performance. Two teams are now in Madurai and Erode eliciting opinion of the party cadres and more changes are expected to follow.
“The party is taking action against only those who have failed to cooperate with the candidates of the party and its alliance partners. It is a part of the process to prepare the party for the local body elections,” said DMK spokesperson T.K.S. Elangovan.
A district secretary, however, wondered how he or other district secretaries could be made accountable for the poor performance of the party in some constituencies when their opinion was not taken into consideration during the selection of candidates.
“In the past, district secretaries were allowed to sit during the interview with ticket seekers. This time, we were not allowed to participate in the process. The high-command took a decision and thrust it on us and in the process undermined our role,” he contended.
There is a certain narrative about the prominence of the district secretaries in the DMK, and Vanavasam , the memoir of late poet Kannadasan, who had a stint in the party, offers some insights.
When late Anbil Dharmanalingam, a key figure in the Delta region, visited the party cadres who were injured in the police action during a rail roko protest, the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) apparently asked him who he was. “I am the district secretary,” he reportedly said.
What does it mean? asked the DSP. “It is akin to a district collector,” replied Dharmalingam.
“At that time, the party had only 12 district secretaries and they toiled hard to build the organisation. They were a force to reckon with. The party is travelling on the smooth road laid by these secretaries,” said K. Thirunavukkarasu, a historian tracking the Dravidian movement.
But over the years, the district secretaries outgrew their role and it became extremely difficult for the high-command to rein them in. As a way out, the high command bifurcated and trifurcated the party’s district units to clip the wings of the secretaries and provide space for new faces in the district units. Today the DMK has 65 district units.
“A district unit should be big enough to give a status to the secretary. It will also give him confidence and energy to work. The high-command should also democratise the organisation at all levels,” argued Mr Thirunavukkarasu, pointing out to the frequent changes in district units.
A senior leader said the DMK’s failure to convince some of its partners to contest on its symbol also paved way for the defeat.
