DMK-TVK face-off as Vijay opens knowledge park; Stalin alleges scheme cover-up
The ₹301-crore facility houses over 1.25 lakh books, a digital library and science exhibits, while the rival parties spar over its origins and political legacy
Chief Minister Vijay may not have anticipated a sharp statement from former Chief Minister MK Stalin even before he left Chennai for the inauguration of the Periyar Knowledge Park (Periyar Arivulagam) in Coimbatore. In a pointed reaction issued ahead of the event, Stalin accused the current administration of concealing references to the ‘Naan Mudhalvan’ scheme launched during his tenure from the new facility.
“Who opens it doesn’t matter. Is the act of opening it something to be proud of?” Stalin asked, asserting that the real pride lies in conceiving a project with vision, allocating funds, and executing it. He claimed that honour belonged to the DMK government.
A ₹301-crore knowledge hub
Stalin further alleged that the name ‘Naan Mudhalvan’ engraved on pyramid-shaped computer desks in the science and technology hall of the complex had been covered up, which he attributed to an aversion to an enlightened society. He maintained that if opponents feared the word “Mudhalvan” (leader) would still remind people of him even after he demitted office, that itself was a victory for the scheme.
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The Periyar Knowledge Park, built at a cost of ₹301 crore on about 6.98 acres of land that once belonged to the Coimbatore Central Prison (near Nanchappa Road, opposite the central bus stand), spans a built-up area of 1.98 lakh square feet across the ground floor and seven upper floors.
It is designed as a major library and science centre for the western region, housing over 1.25 lakh books, with dedicated sections for children, competitive examinations, Tamil and English literature, periodicals, a digital library, an incubation centre, an art gallery, facilities for the differently-abled, and science exhibits including a space-travel simulator. The project was announced in the 2024-25 budget under the previous DMK government, with the foundation stone laid on November 6, 2024.
Chief Minister Vijay arrived in Coimbatore by road from the airport amid cheering crowds and formally inaugurated the complex this morning. He signed the visitors’ register first, inspected the exhibits explained by students, distributed welfare assistance to around 100 beneficiaries, and participated in laying the foundation stone for other projects. TN Ministers N Anand, Adhav Arjuna, Sengottayan, Rajmohan, Sampathkumar, Vignesh and senior officials were present. Notably, Vijay avoided a speech after the distribution of benefits, though the precise reason was not immediately clear.
Stalin recalls DMK’s library legacy
Stalin’s statement, issued on social media, recalled the DMK’s record of establishing and reviving libraries, including the Anna Centenary Library in Chennai, the Kalaignar Centenary Library in Madurai, and modernisation of the Kannimara Library and Koshan Library in Chennai.
He listed ongoing or planned grand libraries in Tiruchi (Perunthalaivar Kamarajar), Nagercoil (Kanniyath Thendral Kayide Millath), Salem (Bharathidasan Knowledge World) and Kallakurichi (Anjalai Ammal Knowledge World) as part of a statewide push under the “Dravidian model.”
He described the Coimbatore facility as a “knowledge temple” carefully built by his government and urged residents to visit it regularly, concluding with the words: “Let the doors of Periyar Knowledge Park open! Let ignorance vanish! Long live Periyar!”
From Kalaignar Library to Periyar park
Responding to the criticism, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) functionary Vivek Gananathan, in a detailed statement shared with The Federal, offered a counter-narrative on the project’s naming. He argued that the original plan announced in the Assembly under Rule 110 on June 27, 2024, was for a Kalaignar Library in Coimbatore (similar to the one later opened in Madurai).
Official press notes even on November 5, 2024, the day before the foundation ceremony referred to it as the Kalaignar Library. However, on the stage on November 6, Stalin reportedly changed the name, citing the existence of Anna and Kalaignar libraries in Chennai and Madurai and announcing that the Coimbatore facility would be named after Periyar.
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Gananathan contended that this sudden shift was not born of long-standing affection for Periyar but was a reactive measure following Vijay’s Vikravandi conference on October 27, 2024, where the TVK leader had criticised what he described as family-centric politics and the use of leaders’ names. He pointed out that the Trichy library continued to be referred to as a Kalaignar Library in government orders and tenders until the name was later changed to Kamarajar, and similar adjustments were made elsewhere.
In his view, the fact that Vijay himself is now inaugurating the Periyar Knowledge Park represents a symbolic victory for the youth-led democratic mobilisation that propelled TVK to power, framing the complex as an emblem of self-respect beyond caste and religious lines rather than a pure DMK legacy.
