A political row emerged on Friday in Tamil Nadu over the establishment of the ₹ 300 crore Periyar Arivulagam (Periyar Knowledge Centre) in Coimbatore, following comments by noted writer, professor, and Sahityā Akademi winner Perumal Murugan alleging massive corruption and a book-procurement scam.
Recalling that the Periyar Arivulagam was planned during the previous DMK regime and formally inaugurated on October 16, he said that while inaugurating the building, the chief minister, C. Joseph Vijay, said it was established with an investment of ₹ 300 crore, spread across 7 acres in Coimbatore.
Referring to the formation of a book recommendation committee to set up new libraries, including Periyar Arivulagam, Vijay said a government order in this regard was issued during the previous DMK regime on November 5, 2025.
Acknowledging that a project initiated under one regime cannot be completed during its tenure, Murugan said that, following a change of government and completion of the project during the subsequent administration, it was quite common in the political arena over who takes credit for the benefits. Meanwhile, in response to the criticism, DMK leader and former minister Govi Chezhiyan said TVK is attempting to exploit things brought to light by Perumal Murugan for their political gain. “What is surprisingly shocking in this is that the Chief Minister, who has not opened his mouth until now on any issue including law and order, price hikes, or electricity tariff increases, has miraculously issued a statement”, Chezhiyan said in a party statement. Following the emergence of a scam in the library, he said, “It raises suspicions of whether there is an ulterior motive or a conspiratorial act behind this by the TVK government. In a party statement, BJP Tamil Nadu spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy said the previous DMK administration conceived and executed a nearly ₹ 300-crore public project in the name of Periyar and then allowed the procurement of roughly 1,800 books from an “obscure publisher at inflated prices.”
Congress slams DMK
The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President B Manickam Tagore slammed its former alliance partner, the DMK, alleging that corruption prevailed during its rule in Tamil Nadu.
