00:00But let's get right into it. Our top story this evening is on another scam that's in the spotlight in
00:06Tamil Nadu.
00:06Six months into the TVK government's tenure, the opposition is cornering Chief Minister Vijay on several issues.
00:13Now the one that's come up is the library scam. It's being termed as an AI scam by the TVK
00:21themselves.
00:22And the TVK is suggesting that this shows the widespread corruption that took place under the erstwhile DMK government.
00:28What is this all about? This is in fact at the Periyar Arivalagam Library in Coimbatore,
00:34where an author, a very famous Tamil author, has flagged nearly 1,800 books which contain factual errors, false authorship,
00:43some allegedly created using AI tools. And so if you look at the details, it's stunning.
00:48There's some of the greatest Tamil writings referred to as the author.
00:53There's a book that's supposedly written by Vijay Trishav and nothing of that sort even exists.
00:57All of this is available in that library. And now in the latest twist, the Madras High Court has observed
01:03that even
01:03Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Man Ki Baat, which was then translated into Tamil, that was a book,
01:09it was rejected despite being recommended by an expert committee. It did make it to the government-run Periyar library.
01:17Now the opposition is demanding answers from the TVK government on what kind of an investigation is being carried out.
01:22The TVK is saying this is more evidence of the corruption under DMK.
01:31It's TVK versus DMK yet again. Tamil Nadu's newly inaugurated Periyar Arivulagam library has triggered another political showdown
01:40between the ruling TVK and the opposition DMK.
01:44The latest flashpoint comes after the Madras High Court questioned why the Tamil translation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's
01:51Man Ki Baat was rejected despite being recommended by an expert committee.
01:57This comes just days after the DMK launched a complaint with the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption,
02:03seeking a probe into alleged large-scale irregularities in the procurement of books for the library.
02:09Meanwhile, two research scholars from Coimbatore have also flagged concerns over the authenticity of 257 books
02:18at Periyar Arivulagam attributed to foreign authors and published by a UK-based publishing house.
02:25But the controversy first gained attention after renowned Tamil writer Perumal Murugan
02:30publicly flagged serious irregularities in the library's book collection.
02:36Nearly 1,800 questionable books from unknown publishers.
02:40Some allegedly contained factual errors and fabricated information.
02:45One book even listed a fictional name as Tamil Nadu's first chief minister.
02:51Another book listed Trisha Vijay as its author.
02:55Classical Tamil works were misidentified as authors.
02:59Economist Sean Dress was falsely credited as an author.
03:03One of the biggest allegations centres on AI-generated content in purchased books.
03:09Books reportedly costing Rs. 250 were priced at over Rs. 1,500.
03:15Some publishers' addresses and contact details were untraceable.
03:19And now over 160 writers, researchers and publishers have demanded an independent probe.
03:28The allegations have now triggered a political blame game with both sides pointing fingers at each other.
03:35The DMK has dismissed the controversy as an attempt to revive old allegations and has called for a proper investigation.
03:44This TVK is actually fit for nothing.
03:46They don't have any proper answer for any questions that you ask.
03:49Whatever they will say, everything is because of the DMK.
03:53Even the sun is rising because of the DMK.
03:54That is the only answer they have.
03:57Meanwhile, the TVK has accused the DMK of damaging Tamil Nadu's image.
04:01The TVK government has also pointed out that the library project was initiated under the previous DMK regime,
04:08holding the former administration responsible for the alleged irregularities.
04:32The controversy is another in a long list of flashpoints to erupt since TVK came to power.
04:39Bureau Report, India Today.
