Why does Periyar trigger sentiment in Tamil Nadu?

Soon after the Lenin statue was bulldozed in Tripura after the Bharatiya Janata Party won the state elections in India, Periyar statue was vandalised in Tamil Nadu. The vandalism was apparently provoked by BJP leader H. Raja's Facebook post that said Periyar was next after Lenin. H. Raja regretted for his posting after numerous leaders in Tamil Nadu condemned his post. Why does Periyar trigger sentiment in Tamil Nadu? Karthick Ram Manoharan, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta, analyses the legacy of Periyar. Karthick Ram Manoharan is currently working on a comparative study of the thoughts of Periyar and Frantz Fanon.