Answer
Anna's political mentor was Periyar E. V. Ramasamy. He was a Tamil politician and social reformer who was a major figure in the Dravidian movement. He founded the Dravidar Kazhagam party in 1944, and Anna became a member of the party in 1949. Anna was influenced by Periyar's ideas of social justice and anti-casteism, and he helped to spread these ideas through his own writings and speeches.