CHENNAI: While paying tribute to Periyar on the occasion of his 52nd memorial day, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss expressed that may the doyen of Dravidian movement open the social justice eyes of DMK rulers.

"Periyar is the ideological guide of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK). He is also our beacon of social justice. That is why Dr Ayya (S Ramadoss) launched a week-long continuous road blockade agitation demanding separate reservation for the Vanniyars on September 17, Periyar’s birth anniversary," Anbumani said in a statement.

He added that even after 1,000 days since the Supreme Court ordered the grant of internal reservation for the Vanniyars, the DMK government failed to implement it. "Condemning this social injustice, we organised massive people’s protests in district headquarters across Tamil Nadu on this very day last year.

Today marks one year since those protests were held, and 1,365 days since the Supreme Court delivered its verdict. Yet, the DMK government continues to remain unmoved on the issue of providing reservation to the Vanniyars," he expressed.

Praising that Periyar was the one who opened the eyes of Tamil Nadu to social justice, he criticized the DMK rulers are immersed in fascist ideology and intoxicated with power and have shut their eyes to social justice.

"May Periyar, who continues to live on in the hearts of the people even after his passing, open the social justice eyes of the DMK rulers at least now," he said.