Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay on Friday accused the previous DMK government of corruption in the purchase of books for Coimbatore’s Periyar Knowledge World, days after allegations emerged that nearly 1,800 fake AI-generated books had been bought at inflated prices.Vijay credited writer and professor Perumal Murugan with exposing the alleged irregularities and said he deserved to be commended.The controversy has also drawn in the Congress, with state party president Manickam Tagore demanding a comprehensive probe into the purchases. The demand puts the DMK, the Congress’s former ally, under pressure to answer allegations of wrongdoing during its tenure.The DMK, meanwhile, has accused the Vijay government of trying to take credit for a project built under its rule and covering up the name of its ‘Naan Mudhalvan’ scheme at the newly inaugurated centre.
What are the allegations against DMK
The controversy centres on the purchase of books for Periyar Knowledge World, also known as Periyar Arivulagam, a library and science centre in Coimbatore.Writer Perumal Murugan reportedly flagged alleged irregularities in the procurement process. Citing his allegations, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president Manickam Tagore claimed that nearly 1,800 fake, AI-generated books from Agalvilakku Pathippagam were purchased at inflated prices. He also alleged that the books carried fabricated author and publisher details.In a letter to Vijay, Tagore sought a comprehensive investigation into the alleged multi-crore corruption. He demanded that the disputed books be removed, those responsible identified and arrested, and similar purchases at other state-run libraries examined.The Congress leader’s intervention is politically significant because the allegations concern the previous DMK government, with which the Congress was previously allied. His demand puts the spotlight on the DMK’s record in office even as the party faces attacks from the ruling TVK.
Vijay calls DMK ‘fountainhead of corruption’
Vijay seized on the allegations to launch a sharp attack on the DMK, accusing it of turning the institution into what he described as a centre of corruption.Hitting out at the opposition party, the chief minister called it the “fountainhead of corruption” and alleged that its claims of building the institution after careful scrutiny had been undermined by the book procurement controversy.“The DMK has engaged in corruption in a slightly different way, turning Coimbatore Periyar Knowledge World itself into a world of corruption,” the ruling TVK founder alleged in a statement.He further claimed that the DMK had a history of corruption, including in the awarding of tenders, and said the party would not be forgiven by future generations of Tamil Nadu.“That the DMK is a party which built a very huge world of corruption for themselves is getting exposed one after the other,” he alleged.Vijay’s remarks came on the day he inaugurated Periyar Arivulagam, which houses a library, a digital library and a planetarium.
Stalin defends the project
The DMK has sought to highlight the institution as a major project completed under its ‘Dravidian Model’ government.Party president and former chief minister M K Stalin visited the centre on Wednesday along with Dravidar Kazhagam president K Veeramani. He expressed satisfaction over its completion and urged students and young people to visit the facility to understand the principles and ideals of the Dravidian movement and Periyar.Stalin said nearly 99.75% of the work had been completed and suggested that the project could have been abandoned had it been left unfinished.“Fortunately, the Periyar Knowledge Centre has reached the stage of near completion. Had the project been left halfway, the current govt would have dropped the project and had brought it to a closure. Thankfully, it has escaped that fate,” he remarked.He also expressed hope that other library projects would be completed and opened to the public, saying such institutions could encourage reading and help younger generations understand Tamil Nadu’s social reform movements.
Udhayanidhi targets CM Vijay
The DMK’s criticism of the Vijay government has also focused on an alleged attempt to remove the previous regime’s imprint from the institution.Leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly Udhayanidhi Stalin welcomed the inauguration of the centre but alleged that the name of the DMK government’s ‘Naan Mudhalvan’ scheme had been covered up at the premises.In a post on X, Udhayanidhi said the facility had been built at a cost of Rs 290 crore under the previous government’s ‘Dravidian Model’ and accused the TVK of taking credit for projects initiated by the DMK.“Those who habitually ‘stick their own labels’ (take credit) on the schemes of our government have, this time, gone as far as covering up the name ‘Naan Mudhalvan’ (I am the First/Leader) at the Periyar Knowledge World. In this regime—led by a ‘cheap’ chief minister obsessed with sticking his own labels—what is the reason for not only undermining the ‘Naan Mudhalvan’ scheme but also refusing to even accept its name?” he said.Questioning the alleged move, Udhayanidhi asked whether the word ‘Mudhalvan’ reminded the ruling party only of the DMK’s leadership, or whether it did not want students to become leaders and top achievers.“Instead of running a ‘circus’—by covering up names given by our government, cancelling schemes, and then performing U-turns by ‘cancelling the cancellations’—this ‘dummy’ chief minister should focus on governing in the interest of the people.”
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The row has thus developed into a wider political contest over alleged corruption in the previous regime, the ownership of a high-profile public project and the legacy each party wants to claim from it. While the Congress is seeking an investigation into the alleged book purchases, Vijay has used the allegations to target the DMK, which is accusing his government of erasing its contribution to the institution.