CPM’s Shanmugam, who has strongly condemned the corruption in the book procurement at the Coimbatore Periyar Arivulagam library, has demanded a detailed investigation into the scam. In a statement issued in this regard, he said, ``As one of Tamil Nadu’s proud intellectual initiatives, the “Periyar Arivulagam” established in Coimbatore district was inaugurated by Chief Minister Joseph Vijay on October 16, 2026. It is noteworthy that during the previous DMK regime, it was built at a cost of around Rs. 300 crore, on seven acres of land, as a seven-storey building.
In this situation, writer Perumal Murugan has pointed out with evidence that “a massive corruption has taken place in Periyar Arivulagam.” In particular, he has explained that large-scale, planned irregularities were carried out in the purchase of books.
There are government rules and guidelines that must be followed in the purchase of books for libraries. However, it does not appear that such rules and guidelines were properly followed in the purchase of books for the Periyar Intellectual Library. The allegations that books were procured through irregular means with the intent of systematically plundering public funds are deeply concerning.
On the one hand, allegations have arisen that public tax money has been plundered; on the other hand, it appears that fraud has also been carried out in the realm of knowledge, with books containing content unfit for intellectual standards being produced and included in the library.
It is never acceptable that such intellectual fraud has taken place in the very library that is meant to guide the Tamil community in an enlightened direction.
Therefore, who were the members of the committee that recommended selecting books for the Periyar Intellectual Library? How did they approve the purchase of such low-quality, fake books? Who aided and abetted these irregularities? When was the tender issued?
Irregularities in book procurement at Periyar Arivulagam! Form a special investigation team! CPI(M) urges!! pic.twitter.com/k38Oa2M2K6
— Shanmugam P (@Shanmugamcpim) November 6, 2026
It is appropriate for the Tamil Nadu government to answer questions such as when the purchase was made openly in the public forum. The government should immediately form a committee including Tamil scholars, examine all the books in the library, and take steps to promptly remove the books that are confirmed to be fake. It should also set up a special investigation team to detect irregularities and fraud, and take appropriate action against everyone responsible for them, the state executive committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) urges the Tamil Nadu government.
Furthermore, the Tamil Nadu government ensures that the government’s rules and guidelines are properly followed when purchasing books for government libraries, and the Marxist Communist Party state executive committee requests that this be continuously monitored as well,” he has noted..
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