Political leaders demand an inquiry into the irregularities in the purchase of books in Periyar Arivulagam

I. Paranthamen, Joint Secretary, Legal Wing, DMK. | Photo credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ

The DMK on Saturday filed a complaint with the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) seeking registration of a case and investigation into alleged large-scale irregularities and misappropriation of public funds in the purchase of books for Periyar Arivulagam in Coimbatore.

I. Paranthamen, joint secretary of the party’s legal wing, in his complaint asked the DVAC director to secure procurement files, note files, orders, supply records, accession records and payment records as soon as possible so that they are not altered or destroyed. “Bring to book those responsible for committing these crimes and take appropriate action against them in accordance with the law,” he said.

Mr Paranthamen said the investigation should find out which officials issued the purchase or purchase orders for the books and whether the titles were selected and purchased individually after evaluation or in bulk. He also wanted DVAC to find out the dates when purchase orders were issued to publishers; officials who initiated, signed and approved procurement memo files; whether purchases have been approved by the appropriate Book Selection or Purchase Committee; and whether prescribed procedures were followed.

Mr. Paranthamen sought an investigation into whether writers named Trisha Vijay, Sangeetha Vijay, Thamarai Panneer, Thamarai Murali and Monica Ravi R., among others, really existed. He wanted the DVAC to establish the dates when the books were delivered, whether their quality and quantity were verified on receipt, and the dates and amounts of payments released to individual publishers. The investigation should also determine whether the prices paid were reasonable compared to market prices and discounts normally offered to libraries, he added.

“TVK is not diligent”

AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami. | Photo credit: E. LAKSHMI NARAYANAN

AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Saturday demanded that a commission of inquiry headed by a former Supreme Court judge be set up to probe the book purchase controversy. In a post on social media, he called for immediate action against those responsible in the matter. He said that both the ruling TVK and DMK are making allegations against each other and trying to confuse people.

Mr. Palaniswami, however, found fault with the TVK-led regime for “not being diligent” in checking the books before displaying them in the library when Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay inaugurated it.

Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) founder TTV Dhinakaran argued that since most of the books were purchased during the current regime, the probe should be conducted by a Union government agency or under the direct supervision of the Supreme Court.

General Secretary MDMK Vaiko. | Photo credit: M. MOORTHY

MDMK general secretary Vaiko said on Saturday that those responsible for purchasing books for libraries during the DMK regime should explain the alleged irregularities in the purchase of books for Periyar Arivulagam. “Those responsible for irregularities in the purchase of books for libraries, which are the backbone of an enlightened society, should be held accountable. All fake books and garbage should be removed from the library,” he said in a statement.

Mr. Vaiko said that the public should be informed about the books recommended during the DMK regime and the final list of books procured. He sought details of the number of orders issued for each list of books, the number of books found to be junk and those who placed orders for publications such as Agal Vilakku Pathipagam and Phoenix. He also wanted the names of the banks to which payments were credited to the issuers to be made public.

“Trash along with the books”

CPI(M) State Secretary P. Shanmugam. | Photo credit: M. SRINATH

CPI(M) state secretary P. Shanmugam said the alleged irregularities would have been covered up if writer Perumal Murugan had not flagged them. “In Periyar Arivulagam, there is garbage next to books. The purchases should be thoroughly investigated, whether the books were bought during the DMK regime or after TVK came to power. This could not have happened without the nexus of politicians and officials,” he said.

When he asked the special investigation team to investigate, he said, “We also have a library, but we don’t have a single book by author Vijay. A normal police investigation will not reveal the truth.”

Published – 08 Nov 2026 0:28 IST