What is Periyars legacy today and who are the legatees?
After disbanding Justice Party, Periyar founded the Dravidar Kazhagam in 1944 and this forum is today carrying forward the true legacy of Periyar. But there are other Dravidian outfits who benefit from his legacy. Kamaraj was used by the Janata Party though they seceded from the Congress. Similarly, Gandhi is used people who hardly follow his ideals. They have a symbolic use for these leaders. But here, the atmosphere is such, and the soil is so congenial for all these Dravidian parties, that they cannot conduct their politics without using a Periyar picture. Till date, an attempt to forge a front without the two main Dravidian outfits, DMK and AIADMK, has not succeeded. Even Mani Shankar Aiyar had admitted in a recent interview that it is not possible to do politics in TN without any alliance with either Dravidian party. There lies the secret of Periyar’s success. The impact of Periyar’s was such that it has crossed the boundaries of the state. It has reached UP. It has gone to Bihar,
