Our Leaders

Founder of the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam; social reformer and rationalist

Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, revered as Thanthai Periyar, was a social reformer and rationalist who founded the Self-Respect Movement and the Dravidar Kazhagam. He is regarded as the ideological father of the Dravidian movement, from which the DMK emerged.

Founder of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam; Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (1967–1969)

C. N. Annadurai, known as Anna, was the founder of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the first Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from a Dravidian party. His oratory, writings and vision of social equality made him one of the most beloved political figures in modern Tamil history.

President of the DMK (1969–2018); five-term Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu; writer and poet

M. Karunanidhi, known as Kalaignar, was a five-term Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and led the DMK for nearly five decades. A prolific writer, screenwriter and poet, he combined mass political leadership with a lifelong devotion to the Tamil language.

President of the DMK; Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (2021–present)

M. K. Stalin is the President of the DMK and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu since 2021. The son of M. Karunanidhi, he rose through the party over five decades, serving as Chennai's first directly elected Mayor and as Deputy Chief Minister before leading the DMK to power.

Founding member and longest-serving General Secretary of the DMK; former Education Minister of Tamil Nadu

K. Anbazhagan was a founding member of the DMK and its longest-serving General Secretary, holding the post from 1977 until his death in 2020. A Tamil scholar and former minister, he was widely regarded as the organisational anchor and elder statesman of the party.

Architect of the Indian Constitution, social reformer, and polymath

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, affectionately known as Babasaheb, was the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, an economist, and a relentless champion against the caste system and untouchability. Though not a Dravidian movement leader, his ideals deeply resonate with its core principles of social justice and equality.