Seeman’s meeting with Rajinikanth sets off political speculation

The meeting with the superstar, against whom he used very harsh words when the actor was preparing for his political entry has put the NTK leader in a tight spot.

Chennai: S Seeman, co-ordinator of Naam Tamizhar Katchi, a Tamil nationalist outfit which eulogises the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), now finds himself at the receiving end not from his critics but also his own partymen.

A long meeting with Tamil superstar Rajinikanth, whom he vehemently opposed politically, and giving a new meaning to the word ‘Sanghi’ in friend has put Seeman in a tight corner.

Though the NTK posted its best-ever performance by polling an impressive 8 per cent votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the attrition rate in the party has been growing in the past few months with many district-level functionaries checking out of the party, blaming Seeman’s “style of functioning.”

In the last two weeks alone, five district secretaries and in-charge of the Krishnagiri zone have resigned from the NTK, while Ramachandran, the former district secretary of Coimbatore (North) joined the DMK on Sunday.

The meeting with Rajinikanth, against whom he used very harsh words when the actor was preparing for his political entry which never materialised, seems to be the last straw.

The “long meeting” which was felicitated by a political analyst who is aligned with the right wing has fuelled intense speculation that Seeman is getting close to the BJP, with whose leaders the Tamil superstar enjoys excellent rapport.

“Sanghi simply means a friend. But those who accuse me of being a Sanghi are the real ones (read DMK). They can meet the Prime Minister but they will accuse us of being a Sanghi if we oppose them (DMK),” Seeman said, when asked whether it was a meeting between two Sanghis, a colloquial term used to refer to a right-wing supporter.

Jagadish, who quit NTK on Saturday, said he was pained to leave the party which he loved the most. “I am upset with the recent developments and ignoring the party at the grassroots level. That’s the reason I am leaving the party,” he said.

Seeman’s meeting with Rajinikanth also came after his attacks on fellow actor Vijay, whom he called his younger brother, got sharper. Vijay’s TVK, according to political analysts, will affect the future prospects of Seeman as many youngsters are likely to move towards the new party.

Seeman had also vented his frustration at Vijay, saying he cannot run his party with the ideologies of Dravidian and Tamil nationalism. “You will have to stand here or there, if you stand in the middle, you will be hit by a speeding lorry,” Seeman had told Vijay on November 1.

Seeman once opposed Rajinikanth politically on the basis that he was a Maharashtrian born in Bengaluru arguing that only Tamils are eligible to rule Tamil Nadu. NTK's performance has always been viewed with caution as it is arguably the most controversial political party in Tamil Nadu for its extreme views on several issues.

Senior journalist R Bhagwan Singh told DH that it was an interesting development that some who swore by Tamil nationalism met Rajinikanth, whom Seeman often branded as a non-Tamil. “To what extent these meetings will lead to any politically profitable alliance is a big question mark,” Singh added.