The self-respect movement was started by:

The self-respect movement was started by:

C. H. Annadurai
E. V. Ramaswami Naicker
Lakshmi Narasu
Iyothee Thass
This question was previously asked in
UPSC Geoscientist – 2021
The correct answer is E. V. Ramaswami Naicker.
The Self-Respect Movement was a dynamic social movement that started in South India, primarily aimed at achieving a society where backward castes had equal human rights and encouraging them to have self-respect in the context of a caste-based society that considered them to be the lowest. It was founded by E. V. Ramaswami Naicker, popularly known as Periyar.
The movement advocated for rationality, self-respect, and women’s rights, and opposed Brahmanical dominance, caste system, and superstitious beliefs. C. H. Annadurai was a prominent leader who later branched out to form the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). Iyothee Thass was an earlier pioneer of the Dalit movement in Tamil Nadu and promoted Buddhism among Dalits.