CHENNAI: DMK president MK Stalin on Saturday instructed the 36-member review committee constituted by the party to submit an honest and unbiased ground report on the party's defeat in the recent Assembly election, asking them not to hide anything from him.
“If the panel finds that I am responsible for the defeat, I am ready to accept that as well. Such open-minded enquiry is expected from the team,” he told members during an interaction on Saturday.
Addressing a consultative meeting, Stalin underscored the importance of the task entrusted to the committee: conducting field studies across all 234 Assembly constituencies to identify the reasons behind the party's poor performance. He asserted that the party’s chances of bouncing back rest with the panel members and the findings they reach, giving them the freedom to criticise the party president himself.
Describing the panel members as representatives of the party headquarters and "his ears" on the ground, the DMK president urged them to function without personal bias and report the views of cadre and functionaries truthfully. "Your duty is neither to protect anyone nor to target anyone," Stalin told the committee members.
He directed the panel to conduct consultations strictly in two-member teams and avoid individual meetings during the review exercise.
Stalin also instructed the committee to encourage the cadre to speak freely about their grievances and opinions regarding the election setback. "Even if criticism is directed against me as party leader, include it in your report," he said.
The former Chief Minister stressed that understanding the genuine feelings of party workers was essential to initiate corrective measures within the organisation.
"Doctors say the truth should never be hidden from them. I am now in that position. Do not conceal anything from me," Stalin remarked.
Drawing an analogy with medical diagnosis, he said identifying the "disease" clearly was necessary to prescribe the correct "medicine".
He also instructed that the findings and observations collected during the field study should remain confidential and should not be shared with those concerned.
Calling the report a "scan report" for the DMK, he urged the panel to ensure precision and clarity in its findings.
The committee has been asked to submit its final report by June 5, while corrective organisational measures are expected to be completed by the end of June.