Seeman invokes cattle, toddy, trees in bid to widen base

When other TN political parties focus on bread-and-butter issues such as jobs, price rise and welfare, NTK chief Seeman has been picking niche causes for his political activity that combine cultural nationalism with rural populism. What stands out in most of these activities is the underlying attempt to woo caste groups to broaden his support base beyond youth, especially after the political entry of Vijay.In July this year, Seeman surprised everyone, including his own partymen, by herding scores of cattle to the venue of his ‘livestock' conference in Madurai. Weeks later, he attempted to drive cattle into reserve forests in Theni, seeking grazing rights for pastoral people. He then protested demanding renaming of Gingee fort as ‘Koneri Kone Kottai'. There was one more protest, where he climbed a palm tree batting to legalise toddy. On the surface, the protests are framed as fights to protect traditional occupations against restrictive state policies. But their timing and symbolism point to a deeper political messaging. For instance, the livestock conference was held in Madurai just a day before the birth anniversary of Alagumuthu Kone, a freedom fighter revered by konar community, traditionally involved in cattle rearing. The cattle grazing agitation in Theni, was seen as a follow up of the livestock conference. Similarly, the toddy tapping campaign in Periyathalai village near Sathankulam in Tuticorin drew significant participation from members of panaiyeri nadar community, traditionally associated with palm-based occupations. The protest to rename Ginjee fort as ‘Koneri Kone Kottai' endorsing the view that it was built by a ‘konar' king, which historians say was debatable, is also seen as part of Seeman's strategy to combine Tamil nationalism with caste pride.Political analysts say this helps NTK maintain its cultural positioning while keeping caste pride alive under the cover of ecology and tradition.NTK, however, rejects the caste angle. Party spokesperson Packiarajan Sethuramalingam told TOI the intent is ecological, not electoral. "We are conducting these protests to raise awareness about misuse of natural resources. There is no caste motive. If we wanted caste votes, we could simply call community leaders and hold a rally," he said.C Rajeshwari, political analyst and author cautioned that the strategy may misfire. "It is a wrong move if they think they can secure caste votes by invoking livelihood traditions. TN has evolved with social justice, and no caste is tied to a single occupation any longer,'' she said.