Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) chief coordinator S. Seeman on March 31 alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other political leaders are waking up to the Katchatheevu issue only ahead of Lok Sabha elections. “Where were these leaders when Indian fishermen were being shot dead by the Sri Lankan Navy?” he asked.
Canvassing votes for his party candidate for Madurai Lok Sabha Constituency T. Satyadevi, he said that the BJP should also get information through RTI on the genocide of Tamils during the ethnic strife in Sri Lanka. He was referring to BJP leader K. Annamalai getting details of the Katchatheevu issue through the RTI Act. “People are also angry with the BJP for the riots in Gujarat and Manipur,” he said.
“Mr. Modi is saying Tamil is the oldest language. But, what has he done for the development of the language? The BJP keeps on talking about development. But where is the development?” he asked.
“Government functions may not be held in Karnataka in recognition of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, but if elected we will conduct such government functions to recognise the contributions of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan who have fought for freedom alongside Velu Nachiyar,” Mr. Seeman said asking if the BJP and the RSS fought for freedom struggle.
“The DMK claims that it fights for the cause of minorities. How many of their candidates belong to minority communities?” he asked.
He added that his party was denied the ‘sugarcane farmer’ symbol because the other political parties feared them. “If NTK was given an opportunity and the candidate was elected from Madurai Constituency, they would assure job opportunities and basic amenities to people,” Mr. Seeman said.
