DMK modifies ‘Oraniyil’ norms after Madras HC rap; does away with OTP

CHENNAI: Modifying the membership drive modalities of the Oraniyil Tamil Nadu campaign consequent upon the Madras High Court barring collection of OTP during the drive, the ruling DMK on Tuesday said that the desperation of AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami to stop the campaign is proof of its reach among the people.

DMK organising secretary RS Bharathi said that a desperate EPS moved the court to somehow stop the Oraniyil Tamil Nadu campaign of the DMK after his slander campaign failed to prevent all sections of people in TN, even AIADMK members, from rallying behind Chief Minister M K Stalin. “The court spurned EPS and categorically rejected his plea to stay the Oraniyil Tamil Nadu campaign and allowed the membership drive to continue as usual without collecting the OTP (one-time password). This desperation of Palaniswami to somehow stop the membership drive of the DMK explicitly demonstrates the extent to which the Oraniyil Tamil Nadu campaign has reached the people, said Bharathi.

Calling the AIADMK and BJP’s celebration of the court order preventing the collection of OTP as ‘amusing’, the DMK organising secretary said that the people were volunteering to join the DMK owing to the schemes and governance of the Dravidian Model government.

Clarifying that the OTP collection was only a confirmation of the enrolment with the party, Bharathi advised the DMK workers to stick to the revised procedure in membership enrolment. Advising the workers to update the Makkaludan Stalin app and continue without collecting OTP, DMK leader Stalin said that OTP collection was not in vogue, but a mobile number was compulsory, and four members of the same family could be enrolled using a single phone number. Though one mobile number per family has been introduced, the functionaries engaged in the campaign could collect as many mobile numbers as feasible. Cadre must verify authenticity of numbers, he said.