He came into the limelight when he issued a dissent note in the JPC report on the Bofors Scandal against a clean chit to Rajiv Gandhi government.
[citation needed] Though born into a family that traditionally held the priestdom of the famous Vaithiyalingasamy Kovil in Aladipatti, he was strongly influenced by the rationalist movement spearheaded by Periyar and greatly enchanted with the silver-tongued oratory of C. N. Annadurai and M. Karunanidhi.
These influences soon became his guiding forces and he entered the political movement even as a young student and actively participated in the "Anti-Hindi agitation".
He started his political career by unsuccessfully contesting in the Assembly elections from Alangulam as a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) candidate in 1962.
He raised a dissent note on the report of the Joint Parliamentary Committee which examined the Bofors Scam, which was a death-knell to the Rajiv Gandhi government.
It is his efforts that got the beedi rollers separate ID cards and getting benefits from State and Central Governments.
He also said that Stalin was unfit to become Chief Minister or lead the party headed by stalwarts such as C. N. Annadurai and M. Karunanidhi.
[citation needed] His other works in Tamil include, Aladi Aruna was murdered during a morning walk near Alangulam, in Tenkasi district on 31 December 2004.
His friend R. Ponraj who also accompanied him was killed and Socrates, TASMAC bar attendant from Aladipatti survived the attack.
[9] According to police, Aruna was attacked by a gang instructed by his friend and local educationist S. A. Raja, with whom he had fallen out over setting up of educational institutions in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu.
[19][20] Two of the accused, Balamurugan and Azhagar, were convicted in Tirunelveli principal sessions court and sentenced to death in April 2008.