Periyar Library Book Row: AI Content, Price Markups & TVK-DMK Political Showdown

A controversy over book purchases for Tamil Nadu's Periyar library has triggered a political storm, with allegations of inflated prices, questionable authors and possible AI-generated content. Sahitya Akademi awardee Perumal Murugan has flagged alleged irregularities in around 1,800 books, including factual errors, unverified registration numbers, missing publisher details and suspicious price tags. One book reportedly priced at ₹250 carried a price tag exceeding ₹1,500. The issue has now become a political flashpoint between the ruling TVK government and the opposition DMK. Tamil Nadu Minister Raj Mohan has promised an inquiry, while DMK leaders have questioned the credibility of the books. With Kamal Haasan also demanding action, the key question is: what happened in the Periyar library book procurement process?