Chennai: He is the enfant terrible of Tamil Nadu politics, taking on the Dravidian narrative head-on. Unsparing in his criticism of the established Dravidian parties and the Congress and BJP, Seeman, Chief Coordinator of the NTK remains a star attraction of voters in Erode East, going to the polls on February 27. Not surprisingly, his emotional oratory and rhetoric are gaining traction in the campaign.
Enthused by the crowd, he starts singing songs of yore with contemporary political overtones and is cheered all along his roadshows. With his unconventional speech laced with humour and sarcasm, Seeman adds colour and mirth to the campaign, which has picked up a pace. Accompanied by the party candidate Menaka Navaneethan, he is crisscrossing the urban constituency, in an open vehicle canvassing for votes. She is from the Mudaliyar community, a numerically significant caste block in Erode East besides the OBC Goundars.
Tamil nationalism is the core ideology of the party and its immediate task is to ensure that Tamil Nadu is ruled by Tamils and primacy for Tamil language. Support for Tamil Eelam, an independent state for the ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka is another. Earlier, Seeman was ridiculed for the manifesto in the last assembly election which assured to make agriculture and cattle rearing as government employment. NTK has a large following among the youth, especially in the unorganised sector and they are very active on social media. For them, he is 'Annan' (elder brother) and whatever he says is biblical dictum.
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Appealing to vote for the party's 'Farmer' symbol, he imitates a popular song in the blockbuster 'Malaiyur Mambattiyan' (1983) for which maestro Ilayaraja scored the music.
“Don't be perturbed, oh lady going to exercise your franchise; Don't get distracted by the many symbols; The farmer is the symbol of the working class...Oh mother, father and sister...Having voted for all and sundry...But we remain in penury...What should I say...Vote for Farmer to change this plight”
At this, there is a loud cheer from the audience during his roadshow and he moves on to the next joint. At one campaign point, AIADMK supporters waiting for party interim general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), hurled flowers at Seeman as their leader failed to arrive on time. Though he is strident in his criticism of Hindutva, the DMK and its allies accuse him of being the B-Team of the BJP. But, unfazed, the NTK has been fighting all the elections independently, gradually steady in its growth.
In this poll, the NTK is aiming to reap the anti-DMK and anti-AIADMK votes, thereby occupying the political space which is left untapped, say analysts. In the 2021 Assembly poll, the NTK secured third place polling 11,629 votes (7.79%). “With the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) of Kamal Hassan extending support to the Congress in the contest, the NTK could hope to poach that segment. In the 2021 election, the MNM came close to the NTK, polling 10,005 votes (6.58%). But, it remains to be seen whether the party could replicate its previous performance since by-elections are a different ball game. His demand for releasing Muslim undertrials and those of the 1988 Coimbatore serial blast case languishing for a long in prison might earn him the support of the community. Further, the candidate is also from a dominant community,” explains Raveendran Duraisamy, a rightwing commentator.
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Though Seeman has been harping about Tamil nationalism, many are of the view that it could never become a mainstream narrative. “In the political discourse of Tamil Nadu, Tamil nationalism has always remained on the margins. It has not vanished but will continue to exist, though it could never occupy the mainstream political space. For, it has a resonance with a section, however small,” reasons Dr C Lakshmanan of Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS).
The election is necessitated by the demise of Congress legislator Thirumahan Everaa and the party has fielded his father and former Union Minister EVKS Elangovan. The AIADMK has put up local strongman and two-time MLA, KS Thennarasu. Fighting against the twin Goliaths, it remains to be seen how far Seeman could plough a lonely furrow, riding on Tamil nationalism.
