Tamil Nadu School Education Minister A Rajmohan has launched an attack at the previous Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government of orchestrating what he described as “India’s first AI scam” through alleged irregularities in the procurement of books for public libraries in the state.
Addressing the media in Chennai on Saturday, No vember 7, Rajmohan alleged that the DMK government had issued a purchase order on February 14, 2026, to procure books from Agalvilakku Publications for the Periyar Arivulagam library in Coimbatore. He questioned how books were ordered with a delivery deadline of just seven days and alleged that the library received substandard and AI-generated publications.
Displaying documents that he described as original committee recommendations, purchase orders and payment proceedings, the minister announced a special committee to examine library collections and said the government would seek to recover “every rupee” spent on the disputed books.He also warned of legal action against those involved.
The minister said similar procurement orders had been issued for other libraries, including the Kamarajar Arivulagam in Tiruchy.
How Did The Library Scam Allegations Emerge?
The controversy gained attention after Tamil writer Perumal Murugan, who was part of the book recommendation committee, highlighted factual inaccuracies in several books stocked at the newly inaugurated Periyar Arivulagam.
Murugan questioned the authenticity of publications, their authors and their unusually high prices. He alleged that nearly 1,800 Tamil books from Agalvilakku Publications were stocked at the library, with some priced significantly higher than comparable publications.
Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay subsequently accused the previous DMK government of corruption involving public money.
However, the DMK has rejected the allegations, demanded an independent investigation and questioned the timing of the accusations. The controversy has since escalated into a political confrontation between the ruling TVK and the opposition DMK.