'It is very wrong bro!' Seeman attacks actor Vijay over Dravidam
While Vijay seems to have positioned himself on the middle ground, the NTK chief would have none of it
NTK chief Seeman
CHENNAI: Even as all attention was on the furious war-of-words between supporters of the ruling DMK and actor Vijay’s TVK ever since the latter declared the ruling party as his primary political rival, yet another film personality-turned-politician has waded into the heated debate.
Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) coordinator Seeman unleashed an unexpected and virulent criticism of Vijay and his ideology, focusing on his comment during the TVK’s maiden State conference on October 27 that Dravidam and Tamil nationalism were his two eyes.
While this was seen as Vijay positioning himself in the middle so as to garner support from both sides, Seeman was not amused. “You must stand on either side of the road, not in the middle – or risk getting run over," he said at a public meeting.
“For us who fight for Tamil nationalism, even our parents will become our opponents if they stand against our goal. What then of elder or younger brother,” he added, seemingly referring to his previous comments terming Vijay as his ‘beloved younger brother’.
If the nascent TVK was taken aback by the surprise attacks, its functionaries did well to hide the shock. Instead, they sought to note that there was a considerable difference between Seeman’s comments before and after the Vikravandi conference.
"Responding to him would only hinder our journey (towards capturing power in 2026). Our leader Vijay has made it clear. We know when to respond and where to attack," said Sampath Kumar, who read out and introduced TVK’s ideology at the Vikravandi conference.
Speaking to DT Next, a top-level functionary reiterated that the party considered the Centre-ruling BJP and the ruling DMK in the State as its rivals. "If Seeman and others want to criticise us, let them. Thalapathy has clearly defined our targets and enemies. We don't want to engage in a war of words against NTK, as it is not among them," said the leader.
While DMK and NTK supporters joined hands on the social media to troll Vijay, the principal opposition party AIADMK extended 'support' to him, saying Seeman was rattled by Vijay's political entry. "Vijay is targeting the NTK's vote base. Rattled by this, Seeman is targeting Vijay and attacking him with harsh words," said its spokesperson Kovai Sathyan.