Dharmapuri DMK functionary declares Collector should be subservient, ‘regrets’ it as audio tape leaks

Newly-appointed Dharmapuri East district secretary sparks controversy by flexing muscle demanding submission from top officials.

The newly-appointed Dharmapuri East district secretary P. Dharmaselvan has courted controversy with an audio of his flexing muscle demanding submission from the bureaucracy top down from the Collector, Superintendent of Police to the Block Development Office.

In the audio from Thursday (February 27, 2025), recorded from the party’s first indoor meeting since Mr. Dharmaselvan took charge only this week, he is heard flexing his clout demanding that the entire administration listen to him or be shunted out.

“Collector should listen to me, SP should listen to me, the entire administration should listen to me. If they don’t, they won’t be around. No one can play games,” he said. Mr. Dharmaselvan further claimed, “I have been told by Thalaivar (leader), if they don’t listen to you, give it in writing in your letter pad, and this applies to the Collector as well. From A to Z right from the BDO’s office, the union secretary should know.”

His monologue was an apparent response to a purported demand to shift out some officials by some cadre.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Dharmaselvan, who replaced ‘Thadangam’ Subramaniam as district secretary, said, it was an indoor meeting and the things he said were in a zest to boost the morale of the cadre. Regretting his “outburst”, he said, “There were lot of good things I spoke in the meeting yesterday. But someone, chose to record just this bit.

When The Hindu persisted as to who did he imply by Thalaivar and if Thalaivar had indeed authorised him to do that, he said, it was made up. “There was no such instruction”. Asked If there was interference to the autonomy of the Collector and the SP, from him, he said, “They have all the authority and independence to function. The local cadres were voicing their grievances about their inability to approach the officials. I just said those things to encourage the cadres at the indoor meeting. From now on, we will be cautious.”

The incident has also laid bare the festering inner-party bickering and power struggles at the district level ahead of next year’s Assembly polls.