A political dispute over the naming of a scheme has emerged ahead of the inauguration of the Periyar Knowledge Centre in Coimbatore, with DMK president and former Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin accusing the TVK government of concealing the name of the ‘Naan Mudhalvan’ scheme inside the newly built public facility.
In a statement issued before the centre’s inauguration, Stalin alleged that the scheme’s name had been hidden on a pyramid-shaped computer desk in the science and technology section. He claimed the decision reflected the ruling administration’s concern that visitors would associate the word ‘Mudhalvan’ with him and the previous DMK government.
Stalin said concealing the name would not remove the scheme’s achievements or the DMK government’s contribution to education and public infrastructure. “Even after becoming chief minister, if our opponents fear that people will remember this Stalin when they see the word ‘Mudhalvan’, that itself is our victory. It is the success of our Naan Mudhalvan scheme,” he said.
The dispute has placed the focus on how public infrastructure projects are presented when administrations change. Stalin accused the TVK government of attempting to obscure projects and achievements associated with the previous DMK regime. He said projects initiated under the DMK, including libraries, bridges, Metro Rail corridors and the Kalaignar International Convention Centre at Muttukadu, would continue to be inaugurated by the new government.
He also criticised the emphasis on inaugurating a facility rather than conceiving, planning and executing it. The Periyar Knowledge Centre was announced in the 2024-25 budget and is being developed on land belonging to the Coimbatore Central Prison. The project has been built at a reported cost of Rs 300 crore and covers 1.98 lakh sq ft across a ground floor and seven storeys.
The centre is planned to house 1.25 lakh books, along with a science centre, children’s library, competitive examination section, Tamil and English book sections, and a digital library. These facilities place the project within a wider public-infrastructure model in which libraries are designed not only as book repositories but also as spaces for science learning, examination preparation and digital access.
Stalin cited the Anna Centenary Library in Chennai and the Kalaignar Centenary Library in Madurai as examples of the DMK’s emphasis on expanding access to knowledge. He said libraries and science centres were part of an effort to promote reading, rational thinking and an informed society.
The statement did not establish whether the alleged concealment was part of an official redesign, a temporary display decision or a broader administrative instruction. The immediate dispute therefore remains centred on the attribution and presentation of the scheme within the facility, while the centre’s public role will depend on its opening and the operation of the services planned for its seven-storey building.
