Periyar E. V. Ramasamy vs Souphanouvong

Periyar E. V. Ramasamy led the Vaikom Satyagraha in Travancore, a non-violent protest demanding the right of lower-caste Hindus to use the road around the Vaikom temple. He was arrested twice, and the movement gained national attention.

Periyar founded the Self-Respect Movement in Tamil Nadu, advocating for the rationalism, atheism, and the destruction of caste hierarchy. The movement rejected Brahminical dominance and promoted Dravidian identity.

Periyar led protests against the introduction of Hindi as a compulsory subject in Tamil Nadu schools. The agitations forced the government to withdraw the policy, and Periyar became a symbol of Tamil linguistic pride.

Periyar took over leadership of the Justice Party, which later evolved into the Dravidar Kazhagam. He used the party to campaign for Dravidian nationalism, anti-Hindi policies, and the abolition of caste-based discrimination.

Souphanouvong became the leader of the Pathet Lao, the communist revolutionary movement in Laos. He organized armed resistance against the French colonial forces and later the Royal Lao Government, with support from North Vietnam and the Soviet Union.

Souphanouvong signed the Vientiane Agreement, a ceasefire that ended the Laotian Civil War. The agreement established a coalition government between the Pathet Lao and the Royal Lao Government, but it ultimately paved the way for the communist takeover in 1975.

Souphanouvong was appointed the first President of the Lao People's Democratic Republic after the communist Pathet Lao seized power. His presidency marked the end of the Laotian Civil War and the establishment of a one-party socialist state.

Souphanouvong resigned as President of Laos due to poor health. His resignation marked the end of his active political role, but he remained a symbolic figure in the Lao communist movement until his death in 1995.