Twitter accounts of Naam Tamizhar Katchi (NTK) chief Seeman and an activist have been withheld reportedly after the Union Government made a request in this regard, drawing condemnation from political leaders, including Chief Minister M K Stalin.
The accounts of Seeman and Thirumurugan Gandhi, coordinator of the May 17 movement, were withheld on Wednesday by Twitter. While Seeman took it in his stride by opening yet another account on the micro-blogging site, he didn’t miss a chance to take a swipe at the Union Government for “stifling” voices of Opposition parties.
The NTK leader claimed his account was withheld after he made posts in support of the protests by wrestlers in the country against the BJP government. “I am not bothered, but this is not the way to behave in a democracy,” Seeman added.
In a Twitter post, Stalin said: “Opinions should be countered with opinions. This is the moral way of doing things. Opinions should not be suppressed.” He also demanded that Twitter should revoke the withholding of the Twitter accounts.
In his response, Seeman said the Modi government should hand its head in shame for bending the Sengol immediately after installing it by stifling the voices against the dispensation. “I thank the Chief Minister for supporting me,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Greater Chennai Police said it made no request for blocking the social media handles of functionaries of NTK & May 17 Movement, dismissing the rumours in this regard.
Seeman, an actor-director, launched NTK in 2010 after the end of the civil war in Sri Lanka the previous year to “reclaim” the Tamil land and is considered the most controversial politician in the state for a slew of issues, including idolising now-defunct LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran and his policy that political power should be vested only with “native Tamils” and not “outsiders.”
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 2019 Lok Sabha polls and increased it to 6.7 per cent in 2021 assembly polls, emerging as the third largest party in terms of vote share.