Tamil Nadu: Amidst churning, TVK gets blasted by Seeman

Chennai: The nascent Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) got blasted by Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) chief convener Seeman on various grounds giving the State’s political dynamics a new turn even as TVK founder Vijay was gearing up to go on a whirlwind tour of the various district and identify new office bearers for his party.

Seeman, who has been supportive of Vijay launching his new party since the beginning by expressing a wish to join hands with his ‘younger brother’ and even attend the first conference near Vikravandi, became a turncoat on State Reorganisation Day on Friday by telling Vijay not to be caught between two stools.

In a blistering attack on Vijay, the self-styled Tamil nationalist of modern day State politics said that one cannot be both a Tamil nationalist and a follower of Dravidian ideology, referring to Vijay’s remark at the launch conference that Tamil nationalism and Dravidian ideology would be like two eyes for his party.

Vijay could don the roles of both the protagonist and the antagonist in a film like GOAT (the last blockbuster ‘Greatest Of All Times’) but that was cinema and it would not work in politics, Seeman said, adding that anyone standing in the middle of the road with their legs spread between two stools would be run over.

He also wondered why Vijay did not mention parties like the AIADMK and Congress in his maiden political address when he could point to the DMK as a corrupt party and call it a political enemy.

Vijay had made an indirect reference to the NTK leader by mentioning him as one who seethes with anger in his speeches and Seeman was indeed seething with anger when he questioned him on his knowledge of Velu Nachiyar, whom he had chosen as a guiding icon of his party.

Seeman told Vijay to either call his politics ‘dry fish curry’ or ‘sambar’ and not ‘fish sambar,’ apparently annoyed with Vijay’s refusal to take a particular political stand. Observers, however, say that Seeman’s peeve is over Vijay ignoring him totally and not reaching out to him.

But Seeman expressed the confidence that Vijay would not be able to take away the votes of NTK, which, he said, would remain intact with the party. But whispers from the field had it that many young political workers of several parties had given nightmares to their leaders by deciding to start TVK units.

Knots of young party workers from diverse parties like VCK, NTK and even DMK are said to be getting in touch with the TVK top brass to launch local units. Since those youth know about the nitty gritty of politics and political organization, thanks to their association with the various parties, they hope to blaze a new trail by joining the nascent party.

To counter such a development, bigger parties are coming up with various strategies to retain their youth. Even the DMK had told its functionaries and cadre in Villupuram district to make the party event in their district to be held on December 5 a gala affair by celebrating the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin.

Other parties, fearing the intrusion of TVK into their youth bases, are also planning to have events, which on the whole would make the next one year charged with hectic political activity in the State as all parties have already started talking about 2026 Assembly polls.