The multi-crore book procurement scam at Coimbatore’s Periyar Arivulagam library has also brought the spotlight on the committee constituted by the previous DMK government to recommend books for the library.
A poster circulating on social media identifies six people as members of the book selection panel: economist Dr Jeyaranjan, environmental scientist Dr Sultan Ahmed Ismail, Tamil scholar Dr K. Arasendiran, academic Dr Ramu Manivannan, and two individuals identified only as Dr Rajan and Dr Murugan.
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The committee was constituted through a Government Order dated 5 November 2025, according to reports. However, it is important to distinguish between the overall book recommendation panel and its various subject-specific subcommittees. There were around 30 such committees, with members assigned to recommend books in different fields.
These committee members have been long associated with the DMK and here’s proof.
1. Dr Jeyaranjan – Economist
Dr Jeyaranjan, appointed Vice-Chairman of the Tamil Nadu State Development Policy Council by the DMK government in 2021, has a rather curious record. He had previously accused Dravidian parties, including the DMK, of massive corruption in his own research, only to later join the same government’s policy establishment. He has since made questionable claims about GST and dismissed concerns over Tamil Nadu’s mounting debt by asking what ordinary citizens had to do with it. An economist who appears to have one set of standards for research and quite another for defending the DMK government.
2. Dr Sultan Ahmed Ismail – Environmental Scientist
Dr Sultan Ahmed Ismail’s record under the DMK government reads less like that of an independent expert and more like that of a trusted establishment insider. After being appointed to the State Development Policy Council in 2021, he was handpicked to head the committee examining hydrocarbon projects and later placed in charge of the State Curriculum Committee, overseeing school syllabus revisions. Three significant appointments under one government make it difficult to portray him as a detached academic with no stake in the DMK administration. His repeated elevation to key positions shows just how deeply he was embedded in the DMK government’s policy machinery.
3. Dr K. Arasendiran – Tamil Scholar
Dr K. Arasendiran’s rise to prominent positions under the DMK government raises questions about his independence from the ruling establishment. In 2022, the Stalin government entrusted him with an ₹8-crore Tamil etymological dictionary project and honoured him with the Devaneya Pavanar Award. He was subsequently appointed to the Periyar Arivulagam book-selection panel under a DMK-era government order in November 2025. From state-funded projects and awards to key appointments, Arasendiran has repeatedly benefited from the DMK government’s patronage. His presence on a panel tasked with selecting books for a major public library therefore deserves scrutiny.
4. Dr Ramu Manivannan – Political Science Academic
Dr Ramu Manivannan is a former Professor and Head of the Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Madras, where he served as department head for 16 years.
Before joining the University of Madras, he taught at Hindu College, Delhi University, for over 18 years. He was also a Fellow of the United Nations University in Tokyo and has worked extensively on education, democracy, development and indigenous knowledge systems.
He has been involved in educational initiatives for marginalised communities and founded several non-formal schools for children from tribal, quarry-worker and weaver communities. He currently serves as Honorary Chairperson of the Multiversity – Centre for Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Vellore.
What was the Committee’s Role?
The controversy has raised questions about the distinction between recommending books and actually procuring them.
Tamil writer Perumal Murugan, who was a member of the subcommittee responsible for recommending books on modern literature and literary criticism, has said that titles were sent to him online for scrutiny. He examined and recommended books for purchase but was not subsequently informed which titles had actually been procured.
Professor Dharmaraj Thamburaj, who served on the committee dealing with culture and folklore, also told The Hindu that the books presented to his committee were of good quality and met the required standards. However, the members were not informed whether the books they recommended were eventually purchased.
This raises a crucial question: if the committees recommended quality publications, who selected and approved the thousands of questionable books that eventually appeared on the library shelves?
The government has now promised an inquiry into the alleged irregularities. The original Government Order, the recommendations submitted by each subject committee, the final procurement lists and the officials who authorised the purchases will be crucial to establishing how the alleged scam took place.
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