CM Vijay Targets DMK Over Periyar Library Book Scam
Synopsis
Tamil Nadu CM Joseph Vijay has accused the DMK of book procurement corruption at the Coimbatore Periyar Arivalagam, citing whistleblowing by novelist Perumal Murugan, and listed alleged irregularities across TASMAC, tenders, and school education under the previous DMK administration.
Key Takeaways
CM Joseph Vijay accused the DMK of corruption in book procurement at the Coimbatore Periyar Arivalagam in a post on 6 November 2026 .
Novelist and professor Perumal Murugan , reportedly a member of the book recommendation committee, is credited with exposing the alleged irregularities.
A government order dated 5 November 2025 had constituted the book recommendation committee for new libraries under the previous DMK administration, according to Vijay's post.
Vijay extended the corruption charge to multiple departments: municipal affairs, TASMAC, tenders , and school education , where arrests have reportedly already been made.
The TVK chief framed the scandal as proof of the DMK 'looting in Periyar's name,' a claim he says his party has made publicly since its founding.
Vijay declared that Tamil Nadu families and future generations will not forgive the DMK, signalling the issue will be central to TVK's electoral campaign.
A library built in Periyar's name, intended for students and families, has become the latest flashpoint in Tamil Nadu's sharpest political rivalry. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay on Friday, 6 November 2026, unleashed a sweeping attack on the DMK, alleging that a book procurement scandal at the Coimbatore Periyar Arivalagam — a public knowledge centre — exposes a pattern of corruption that has run through the previous DMK administration across every department.
The Perumal Murugan allegation that lit the fuse
The trigger is a pointed one. Vijay's post names Professor Perumal Murugan — the celebrated Tamil novelist and academic — as the person who brought the alleged irregularity to light. Murugan had reportedly served on the committee formed under a government order dated 5 November 2025 to recommend books for new libraries, including the Periyar Arivalagam, and is said to have flagged that substandard books were recommended and procured, suggesting corruption in the selection process.
Vijay's post is unambiguous: 'ஊழலின் ஊற்றுக்கண்ணே தி.மு.க.தான்' — 'DMK itself is the fountainhead of corruption.' He praises Murugan for surfacing what he calls a betrayal of the very cultural institution built in Periyar's name.
Claiming Periyar, looting in Periyar's name
At the core of Vijay's argument is a sharply framed irony: the DMK, which has long positioned itself as the inheritor of Periyar E.V. Ramasamy's rationalist, social-reform legacy, allegedly used that legacy as cover for financial irregularities. His post mocks those who declare — 'Tamil is us, Tamil linguistics is our brain, Tamil literature sits in our pocket' — as the loudest claimants being the most corrupt actors.
This is not a new line for TVK. Vijay states that at his party's own convention he publicly declared that the DMK had been 'looting using Periyar's name.' What is new, he argues, is that the DMK has now proved the charge itself.
A catalogue of departments, one indictment
Vijay does not stop at the library. His post lists alleged corruption across the municipal affairs department, the state-run TASMAC liquor corporation, government tenders, and — most emotionally charged — the school education department, where he notes that arrests have already been made in a separate procurement case affecting students.
The pivot to education is deliberate. 'All of this is public money,' he writes, expressing what he calls a heart that 'trembles' at the thought. The Periyar Arivalagam library was built for children and students — the same population already harmed, he implies, by the school education scandal.
The verdict Vijay is writing for future voters
The post ends as a political sentence rather than a question. Vijay declares that neither Tamil Nadu's future generations nor its families will forgive the DMK, and that the party will 'permanently bow its head' in the court of public opinion and never stand straight again.
Tamil Nadu's Dravidian political landscape has always been fought on the twin terrain of cultural identity and governance credibility. By tying alleged financial misconduct directly to the misuse of Periyar's name — a symbol no Dravidian party can afford to be seen desecrating — Vijay is making a calculated bet: that this particular corruption charge will cut deeper than a routine procurement scandal. The DMK and Perumal Murugan have yet to formally respond to the allegations.
Point of View
He forces the DMK to defend its cultural credibility and administrative record simultaneously — a two-front battle that is structurally difficult to win. The invocation of Perumal Murugan as the whistleblower is strategically significant; Murugan carries enormous literary and moral authority in Tamil civil society, lending the allegation weight beyond political theatre. For TVK, which must distinguish itself from the DMK without abandoning Dravidian values, the 'looting in Periyar's name' frame is its sharpest electoral weapon. The unanswered question is whether formal investigations or audit findings will follow, turning political rhetoric into institutional accountability.
NationPress
6 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Periyar Arivalagam book procurement scam?
The Periyar Arivalagam in Coimbatore is a public knowledge centre built in the name of social reformer Periyar. Tamil Nadu CM Joseph Vijay has alleged that during the previous DMK administration, substandard books were procured for the institution through a committee that was supposed to recommend quality modern literature and criticism, amounting to financial corruption.
Who is Perumal Murugan and why is he central to this controversy?
Perumal Murugan is a prominent Tamil novelist and professor who was reportedly a member of the book recommendation committee for new public libraries, including the Periyar Arivalagam. CM Vijay credits him with exposing the alleged irregularities in the procurement process.
What else is Joseph Vijay accusing the DMK of in this post?
Beyond the library scam, Vijay lists alleged corruption in the municipal affairs department, the TASMAC state liquor corporation, government tenders, and the school education department — where arrests have already reportedly been made in a separate case.
What is TVK's position on the DMK and Periyar's legacy?
CM Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has repeatedly argued that the DMK exploits Periyar's name and Dravidian cultural identity for political and financial gain while failing to uphold his reformist values in governance.
Has the DMK responded to Vijay's book scam allegations?
As of this report, no formal response from the DMK government or from Perumal Murugan regarding the specific book procurement allegations has been publicly issued.
