Seeman slams Vijay for ideological obfuscation of Tamil nationalism

NTK chief-coordinator Seeman launched a scathing attack against TVK founder Vijay; sources in the NTK have said that they did not want to let the obfuscation and muddling of Tamil nationalism by Mr. Vijay go unchallenged

Days after VCK founder Thol. Thirumavalavan criticised Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) founder Vijay for allegedly ridiculing the battle against fascism, among others, NTK chief-coordinator Seeman on Saturday (November 2, 2024) followed suit and launched a scathing attack against the actor.

He hit out at the actor for his remark that he “sees no contradiction between Tamil nationalism and Dravidian ideology”. Delivering a speech here to commemorate the day that State boundaries were drawn on linguistic lines in 1956, Mr. Seeman said, “How can Dravidam and Tamil nationalism be considered the same? Dravidam allows exploitation of natural resources, Tamil nationalism fights against it. Dravidam keeps quiet when Balachandran [son of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam chief V. Prabhakaran) was killed, Tamil nationalism cries for him. Tamil nationalism died by dousing itself in fire in protest against killing of Tamils in Sri Lanka, but Dravidam needs coolers and air conditioners to protest at the beach....”

He further said, “Fundamentally, it is wrong [seeing no contradiction between Tamil nationalism and Dravidian ideology]. This is not Kolgai (ideology). Either stand on this side of the road or that side. If you stand in the middle, you will be hit by a lorry....Either stand on the side of Netaji or Lord Mountbatten, bro,” he quipped, mimicking Mr. Vijay’s style of speech: “What bro? It is very wrong bro...”

Mr. Seeman said he believed that Mr. Thirumavalavan would not make the mistake of aligning with Mr. Vijay.

It may be noted that the NTK has always considered Tamil nationalism as being opposed to the Dravidian ideology. It has held that non-Tamil political and social icons such as ‘Periyar’ E.V. Ramasamy need not to be considered as leaders of all Tamils, and only the people of ‘Tamil-origins’ must lead Tamil Nadu.

While Mr. Thirumavalavan had felt that Mr. Vijay’s statement on power-sharing with allies was “more of an effort to break the INDIA bloc”, Mr. Seeman’s outburst has left many wondering if the TVK and the NTK, which were considered as ‘natural allies’, would come together in an alliance for the upcoming 2026 State Assembly elections.

Opposing the ideology

Sources in the NTK have said that they did not want to let the obfuscation and muddling of Tamil nationalism by Mr. Vijay go unchallenged. “The issue is his assertion that Dravidam and Tamil nationalism are the same. We have built Tamil nationalism as an ideological alternative to Dravidam over the last decade. When Vijay states that both are the same, we are forced to criticise him. It is not just about opposing the DMK; it is about opposing the Dravidian ideology as a whole,” NTK spokesperson Packiarajan Sethuramalingam said.

He further said, “Our vote bank has been increasing since we started to contest in elections....We have more clarity than the TVK.”

Political observers contend that the VCK’s and NTK’s attacks on the TVK stem from an anxiety of losing a large number of their supporters to the TVK.

It remains to be seen how Mr. Vijay is going to respond to these criticisms.

Published - November 02, 2024 07:34 pm IST