Former Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai, who has since quit the BJP and founded the political outfit We The Leaders, marked anti-Hindu E.V. Ramasamy’s birth anniversary on Thursday, 17 September 2026, with a tribute praising the Dravidianist ideologue’s role in Tamil Nadu’s social and political history.
In a post marking Periyar’s birth anniversary, Annamalai wrote, “Periyar played an important role in social reform movements and had a major impact on the social and political history of Tamil Nadu. We remember and pay our respects to Periyar’s public life, during which he spent much of his life fighting against inequalities and superstitions prevalent in society.”
சமூக சீர்திருத்தப் போராட்டங்களில் முக்கியப் பங்காற்றி, தமிழகத்தின் சமூக மற்றும் அரசியல் வரலாற்றில் பெரும் தாக்கத்தை ஏற்படுத்திய பெரியார் அவர்களின் பிறந்த தினம் இன்று.
சமூகத்தில் நிலவிய ஏற்றத்தாழ்வுகள் மற்றும் மூடநம்பிக்கைகளுக்கு எதிராக, தனது வாழ்க்கையின் பெரும்பகுதியைச்… pic.twitter.com/tBhJiNioh2
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) September 17, 2026
The post comes after Annamalai’s political transition from the BJP to We The Leaders. He had previously taken positions critical of Periyar and the Dravidian movement during his time in the BJP.
Annamalai joined the BJP in 2020 and served as the party’s Tamil Nadu president before leaving the party in 2026. He subsequently said he had “severe disagreements” with the BJP leadership over its approach to Tamil Nadu, including what he described as Delhi-centric decision-making.
His latest remarks place him alongside several political leaders who marked Periyar’s 148th birth anniversary on September 17. Periyar remains a central and contested figure in Tamil Nadu politics, with parties across the political spectrum invoking different aspects of his legacy.
The timing of Annamalai’s tribute is notable given his earlier political opposition to Periyar and the ideological positions associated with the Dravidian movement.
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