Stalin, who has been meeting cadre of Coimbatore and Nilgiris districts since February 1, was understood to have told his district secretaries to mend ways or make way for others. It all began when participating lower-level functionaries vented their grievances, mainly levelling accusations against their inaccessible district secretaries.

One functionary from Coimbatore had even publicly made comments about the wealth generated by the district secretary and former minister Pongalur N Palaniswamy. A few women functionaries have also drawn Stalin’s attention to the district bosses ‘oppressing’ the women’s wings. 

A peeved Stalin, who claimed to have knowledge of the party affairs, warned that the 20-member committee constituted by him would go into the grievances presented by the functionaries and would visit the erring senior functionaries. “If the committee knocks on your (senior district functionaries) door, consider yourself expelled,” participants of the brainstorming session quoted Stalin as saying. 

A senior party leader, who did not wish to be named, said, “He (Stalin) was annoyed with the district secretaries who were not lending ears to lower level functionaries. He had even warned them that they would be shown the door. Some reorganization would follow the brainstorming.” 

The leader even quoted Stalin as threatening to strip erring functionaries, including district secretaries, of even their primary membership. The DMK working president appointed his confidant NR Elango, who had unsuccessfully contested from Arakkonam in 2014 Lok Sabha election, the head of the 20-member committee. Stalin has asked all participating functionaries to bring the minute books detailing the party meetings instead of shawls and books for him.