Naam Tamilar Katchi coordinator Seeman on Sunday introduced the party’s 234 candidates — an equal number of women and men — at a public meeting held at Royapettah in Chennai.
With 117 men and 117 women candidates seated on either side of the stage, Mr. Seeman stood in the centre and delivered a speech focusing on his favourite topics — making agriculture a government enterprise, eliminating corruption, criticising the policies of the Dravidian parties and the greatness of Tamil language and culture. However, after declaring that he would take on DMK president M.K. Stalin at Kolathur, Mr. Seeman announced that he would seek election from Thiruvottriyur in Chennai.
Referring to the equal number of women and men candidates, he said, “This is our duty. We don’t say a woman is equal to a man. We consider men and women equal. We cannot free our land if our women are not free.”
Mr. Seeman said he was going it alone because there were no worthy allies willing to stamp out corruption. “I am not ready to lose the final victory for a temporary loss. We have a dream. We are standing for the truth, and we will win,” he said.
“Wait and see. I will give farmers aged above 60 a pension. We are importing food but exporting cars. I will reverse this trend,” he said in remarks aimed at critics. He criticised the successive governments of the Dravidian parties for announc- ing farm loan waivers without trying to prevent farmers from getting into debt.
Veteran filmmaker Bharathiraja was present.