Has Seeman's Go-For-Jugular Attack On EVR Rattled The DMK?

There is a renewed interest in EV Ramasamy (EVR) in Tamil Nadu, a development the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and its backers are unhappy about.

You may wonder that a new-found curiosity about EVR, the presiding deity of the Dravidian pantheon, should actually make the DMK happy.

Well, the thing is, this fresh focus on EVR, thanks to the hammer-and-tongs attack on him by the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) leader Seeman, is unearthing facets and facts of the Dravidian leader that the DMK and its ilk had hitherto slyly kept away from mainstream scrutiny.

Of course, this is no ‘breaking news’ to those who have closely followed the history and the utterings of EVR. They will not be surprised as the man had some of the most nasty and bigoted comments known to mankind. But the DMK and its satellite outfits, through their untrammelled control of media narrative, have steered the gaze away from it and built EVR as a blemish-less voice of liberalism. 

To be sure, EVR indeed was the beacon of Dravidian forces, but his politics was up and down and problematic because of its extremeness and topsy-turviness. The only thing that was forever consistent in his politics was that it was predicated on the foaming-in-the-mouth hatred for Brahmins.

The hitherto bowdlerised parts of EVR's troublesome speeches and writings, which were anyway available on the internet to those who scoured for them, are these days showing up easily on social media platforms, much to the annoyance of the Dravidian gatekeepers.

This is happening because Seeman has chosen to go after EVR with a vehemence that is staggering and surprising. In the normal scheme of things, Tamil and Dravidian politics should align closely, especially since the Dravidian tent is, in reality, bereft of occupants other than the Tamil groups. No Southern language group (Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam) has shown any notable interest in being part of this dubiously designed Dravidian omnibus. But the fundamental Tamil types have never forgiven EVR for propping the Dravidian identity. 

EVR's historic reason was to create a cluster that would somehow keep the Brahmins out. For this, he zeroed in on the Dravidian plank that was supposed to include other Southern states' people based on their linguistic character. This political kite-flying never really took off beyond the TN boundaries. Anyway, the hardcore Tamil nationalists felt betrayed as the Dravidian nomenclature became successful politically in the State.

Why is Seeman going after EVR now?

Of course, Seeman, true to his blow-hot-blow-cold style of politics, has previously spoken in eulogistic terms about EVR. But now, he has decidedly changed tack for whatever reason. His relentless sniping at the EVR balloon and DMK leadership seems to have landed, as the D stockist camp appears rattled. On social platforms, it is a virtual bloodbath between NTK foot soldiers and DMK lackeys. Both have been, not unsurprisingly, downright nasty at each other. 

Suddenly, the DMK’s main focus has turned to NTK and Seeman, while the fire directed at the TN BJP and Vijay’s fledgling party, which had made some vague remarks on the proposed Parandur airport near Chennai, has relatively eased.

All kinds of stories about Seeman are emerging on social media platforms, some outrageous, and some not so. But Seeman's path has also been colourfully controversial that some of these charges don't look far-fetched. DMK's political benamis like the various allotropic versions of the DK have also hit the ground in protest against his speeches on EVR. These motley groups also tried to stage a demo outside Seeman's house. The fact that he wasn't even present there is the kind of farce you expect in TN political theatre.

Anyway, Seeman, who is not one to shy away from bravado and braggadocio, has been relentless. And in every press conference, the EVR subject is broached, and the man, with his typical hustle, lets loose another volley of charges.   

Amidst these unseemly exchanges, there has been some speculation about why Seeman has taken it upon himself to puncture the EVR blimp.

The reasons can only be speculated. The DMK camp's oft-repeated allegation is that Seeman is BJP's B team and is bringing down EVR at the national party's behest. Incidentally, there is also a theory that Seeman is going after EVR to deflect attention from the DMK government's many acts of malfeasance. The tragic Anna University rape news, which agitated the public last month, is now off the headlines. So, is Seeman playing the game for the DMK? 

Nehru was more scathing on EVR than Seeman 

Nothing can be said for sure. But what is certain is that the image of EVR has taken some dent among those who had been so far led to believe that he was a man of principles.

On X, an old news report of EVR urging his followers to target and kill Brahmins is making the rounds. The man had actually given a call, Nazi-like, to exterminate Brahmins. Again, this is no big secret. But to see in actual headlines from then drives home what kind of hate politics he practised.

This particular incident, which happened in November 1957, in which EVR infamously exhorted his followers to finish off Brahmins had the then prime minister seething in horror and anger.

In a subsequent speech at a public meeting in Trichy (December 1957), Jawaharlal Nehru said: "...Dravida Kazhagam agitation and the leader of this movement had said something which cannot be forgiven and which cannot be tolerated, apart from actually talking in an unabashed manner about murder, inviting people to murder others — a thing unheard of in any civilised society — he has dared to insult the National Flag and the National Constitution. These are unforgivable offences." 

Nehru did not stop with that. He went even further. "I wondered recently if the Dravida Kazhagam in Madras is not more primitive than any primitive tribe in India. Because it speaks a language unheard of in civilised society. It is a language of murder. It is a language which should either lead one to prison or the lunatic asylum because society cannot tolerate it. No civilised state will put up with a deliberate insult to its Constitution." 

As it happened, Nehru was more trenchant in his criticism of EVR than Seeman. 

Anyway, these folded pages from sordid and tumultuous chapters in India's history have resurfaced in mainstream discourse, thanks to Seeman's politics. Now, EVR's image is likely to be seen for what it truly is, rather than as it was projected. Little wonder the D types are mighty annoyed.