As the campaign for the Erode East Assembly by-poll heats up, Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) leader Seeman has launched a fierce attack on Dravidian icon Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, escalating the party’s rhetoric from viewing him as “not the leader of Tamils” to calling him the “enemy of Tamils.” This stance has raised eyebrows, even within the NTK, as Mr. Seeman had previously identified himself as a Periyarist and typically avoided direct criticism of the social reformer.

Sources within the party suggest that the shift in narrative was sparked by a heated response from Dravidian ideologues following a speech by Mr. Seeman on national poet Bharathiyar.

“We organised an event for Bharathiyar’s birth anniversary on December 20, 2024,” said Packiarasan Se, NTK spokesperson. “During his address, Mr. Seeman pointed out that while Bharathiyar was a Brahmin, he fought against caste discrimination and celebrated Tamil culture. In contrast, Periyar, he argued, ‘insulted’ the Tamil language and was unfairly portrayed as a saviour of Tamils. This led to a backlash, culminating in a meeting against our leader on January 5. Mr. Seeman responded by defending his views on Periyar’s controversial statements about [human] relationships and more.”

Mr. Seeman’s shift in position marks a significant break from his previous stance. While he had long refrained from rejecting Periyar in an outright manner, stating he neither considered him a leader nor an enemy of Tamils, his views have now evolved in response to criticism, particularly from DMK sympathisers regarding Velupillai Prabhakaran, the slain LTTE leader and ideological figurehead for the NTK.

Karthigaichelvan, State Secretary, NTK, said the party wanted to challenge the perception of Periyar’s relevance in Tamil Nadu. “After suffering a heavy defeat in 2011, the DMK wanted to re-establish Periyarist ideology to paper over the cracks in their party,” he claimed adding, “We wanted to break it.”

He said, “Our leader wanted to move on from Periyar. In fact, the question about electoral alliance and about Periyar are two of the most often asked questions to our leader. In the past, he had said that he wanted to move on, but now he has decided to destroy the perception.”