(who were typically part of either the feudal castes, land-owning agricultural castes, or merchant castes) and was committed to enhancing the opportunities for non-Brahmins. With the dawn of the 20th century, and the rapid penetration of western education and western ideas, there was a rise in consciousness amongst the lower castes who felt that rights which were legitimately theirs were being denied to them. In 1920, when the Justice Party came to power, Brahmins occupied about 70 percent of the high level posts in the government. After reservation was introduced by the Justice Party, it reversed this trend, allowing non-Brahmins to rise in the government of the Madras Presidency. In the 1930s, anti-Brahmanism was disseminated among the masses by the Self-Respect Movement. One of the most prominent proponents of Anti-Brahminism was Dalit leader B. R. Ambedkar. Another prominent proponent was Dravidian leader Periyar E. V. Ramasamy. Periyar called on both Brahmins and non-Brahmins to shun Brahminism. See also Caste-related violence in India Reserved political positions in India Caste politics Reservations in India References Sources Printed sources Web sources Further reading Politics and Social Conflict in South India, the Non-Brahman Movement and Tamil Separatism, 1916–1929. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1969. By Prof. Eugene Irschik External links Pune’s endless identity wars by Rakshit Sonawane, The Indian Express, January 6, 2011. Editorial by Francois Gautier on anti-Brahmanism Politics of India