Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) leader Seeman criticized the DMK’s reliance on non-Tamil strategists like Prashant Kishore and Robin Sharma during a press conference in Coimbatore, questioning why the party overlooked capable Tamil figures like Rangaraj Pandey. Highlighting Pandey’s deep knowledge of Tamil Nadu’s geography and culture, Seeman contrasted this with the limited understanding of external consultants hired by the DMK.
The NTK leader also accused the DMK of hypocrisy in betraying the ideals of their ideologue EV Ramasamy Naicker (EVR, also called Periyar by his followers) while claiming allegiance to his movement. He challenged their symbolic decisions, urging them to honor Tamil luminaries like Bharathi and U Ve Swaminatha Iyer over figures like S. Ve. Sekhar’s family.
Seeman held a press conference in Coimbatore following reports of NTK members joining the DMK, as he dismissed the significance of these defections. When asked about DMK leader Duraimurugan’s comments that those who criticize EVR are of “bad birth,” Seeman clarified that the remarks were directed at DMK founder CN Annadurai and not himself. He highlighted Periyar’s controversial marriage to Maniammai as a turning point that led to the formation of the DMK.
Seeman also criticized DMK’s political principles, accusing the party of betraying Periyar’s ideals while claiming its roots in his movement. He challenged the DMK to seek votes based on their allegiance to Periyar’s ideology.
Seeman darted back at the reporters saying, “Where is your principle placed? In opposing “Aryans”? Who is Prashant Kishore Pandey? A Bihari Brahmin. Why did you join hands with him? We have a brother here. He is 10 times, 20 times more intelligent than that Prashant Kishore Pandey. He is Rangaraj Pandey. Prashant Kishore Pandey has no inkling of what lies in the south or north in Tamil Nadu, nor does he know how many rivers, lakes, how many communities we have. But Pandey (Rangaraj) knows it. Not just north-south, he knows every nook and corner. Why don’t you use him as your strategist?
Now you have brought in a Robin Sharma. Who is he? A Shudra? A Kshatriya? A Vaishya? Who is he? He is a so-called Aryan, a Brahmin. Instead of that Robin Singh Sharma, there is a Harihara Raja Sharma, our H Raja, he is a great scholar. He knows Tamil and Tamil literature, and so does Pandey. Why not make use of their expertise once? The thrashing that they received, their ears just turned them around and now they are going behind SVe Sekhar. Why are you naming that street after his father? Why can’t you name it after Tamil Thatha U Ve Swaminatha Iyer? There is Maraimalai Adigal’s guru – Suryanarayana Sastri who renamed himself Parithimar Kalaignar, name the street after him. Our grandfather who created waves in Tamil literature – Bharathi – name it after him. Why are you keeping SVe Sekhar’s father’s name?”
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.