Party that espouses Tamil nationalism gaining electoral ground in state assembly elections

The Naam Thamizhar Katchi (NTK) party has fielded 117 women candidates for elections to 234 seats, and given the opportunity to 16 Dalits

Fifty per cent reservation to women in the distribution of tickets, fielding Dalit candidates in general constituencies and allowing politically-marginalised communities to get a taste of the democratic exercise known as elections.

These should hit headlines when a political party moves beyond conventional politics, but the case of Naam Thamizhar Katchi (NTK) is altogether different. It does show the way for many by ensuring gender parity in ticket distribution and other initiatives, but the party's radical thoughts and policies drown all the “good things.”

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NTK led by Seeman, the actor-director who plunged into politics following the end of the civil war in Sri Lanka that devoured the lives of thousands of ethnic Tamils, is the most controversial political organisation in the state. It openly idolises Velupillai Prabhakaran, an accused in the eyes of Indian law for his role in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, and wants political power to be vested only with “native Tamils” and not “outsiders.”

In Seeman's dictionary – M Karunanidhi, M G Ramachandran, and J Jayalalithaa – the three icons largely credited for building modern-day Tamil Nadu apart from K Kamaraj and C N Annadurai – are “outsiders”. He projects his Tamil nationalistic politics as an “alternative ideology” to the Dravidian rule, which he says has “destroyed” the Tamil land. He believes Karunanidhi is a Telugu, MGR a Malayali, and Jayalalithaa a Kannadiga with Tamil roots.

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Though many of Seeman's policies sound impractical and absurd at times, NTK's acceptance among people is growing – from a mere 1.1 per cent vote share in its debut elections in 2016, the party secured nearly 4 per cent votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

And as Tamil Nadu goes to assembly polls on April 6, NTK is gaining traction each passing day, and the Tamil nationalistic outfit's presence in the poll arena is hard to miss or ignore. This is despite many of Seeman's lieutenants leaving him for “veering off” the agenda on which the NTK was founded.

“I strongly feel that our acceptance among people is growing. This is my country, my land, and it is my right to rule. Since states were divided into linguistic lines, is it not fair that politics should also be based on the language and the state's culture? We expect more growth for NTK this election, and we are here for a long haul,” Seeman told DH in a free-wheeling conversation.

Several NTK candidates stand out in the large crowd for they raise pertinent issues concerning their constituency, long forgotten or dismissed as “trivial” by mainstream political parties.

A fiery orator, Seeman can captivate his audience for hours together, talking about the need to “overthrow” the Dravidian ideology, which he once espoused, and replace it with his Tamil nationalistic politics, with his signature loud laugh after mocking at his political opponents.

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Asked why he opposed the Dravidian parties that have ensured social justice prevail in Tamil Nadu, Seeman shot back.

“What social justice? In fact, what the Dravidian parties implemented is social injustice. How many women have been given tickets by the DMK and AIADMK? How many Dalit candidates have been fielded by these parties in general constituencies? Have they ever given representation to communities that are native to Tamil land?”, he asked.

He elaborates that in the April 6 assembly election, the NTK has fielded 117 women candidates for elections to 234 seats, and given the opportunity to 16 Dalits to contest from general constituencies. DMK and AIADMK have fielded Dalit candidates only in reserved constituencies.

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Seeman is also targeted on social media for his “taking credit” for almost everything that happens in Tamil Nadu and boasting of his association with Prabhakaran and dining with him in the jungles of war-torn northern Sri Lanka.

His attack on the Dravidian ideology has only become sharper over the years – he targets DMK than the AIADMK, leading to criticism that he has a “soft corner” for the ruling party. However, he has a different take on why his attack is against DMK.

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“Why should I target AIADMK when DMK is the father of the Dravidian ideology. Do I slap the father for the mess he created in the family, or do I target the son? If the father is responsible for the ills, obviously, he will have to take most of the attack. Not that I like the son,” he said.

Some of Seeman's ideas are quite radical – he says India, which is a Union of States, does not need a national party.

“There is no need....Let Tamil parties rule Tamil Nadu, people who espouse the cause of Kannadigas rule Karnataka, and natives of Andhra Pradesh rule the state. Why should only people who speak Hindi rule us all the time? Since it is a Union of States, let us rotate the Prime Minister's post amongst us,” he said.

However, Seeman acknowledges that his concept of Tamil nationalism will take time to find acceptance among people as the society is now “split on religion, and caste.”

“Religion and caste came much later. It was a language that came first. When Tamil was first spoken, there was no religion. People should understand language is their identity, and when that realisation happens, I will be the obvious choice for them,” he said.

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To a question of whether people will accept his brand of politics, Seeman said he would continue to espouse the cause of Tamil nationalism and strive to work for Tamils irrespective of election results.

“This is not a running race that we can cover in a few hours. This is a battle...battle takes time, and I will keep running as long as I can. I am not bothered by people who do not accept me. There will come a time when they will realise the importance of language and culture. They will come to NTK,” he said.