Published Nov 09, 2026 | 9:54 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 09, 2026 | 9:54 AM
The controversy over the procurement of books for Coimbatore's Periyar Arivulagam has escalated into a major political confrontation.
Economist Jean Drèze has denied authoring an English-language book attributed to him and reportedly found in Tamil Nadu’s public libraries, calling it “fake”. The development comes amid allegations of large-scale irregularities in the procurement of books at government libraries, first brought to light at Coimbatore’s Periyar Arivulagam.
The controversy began after Tamil writer Perumal Murugan flagged alleged factual inaccuracies, questionable authorship and unusually high prices of several books stocked at the recently inaugurated Periyar Arivulagam in Coimbatore.
He raised concerns that some publications could have been generated using artificial intelligence and questioned the credentials of their authors and publishers.
The allegations subsequently widened to other public libraries. On Sunday, 8 November, two Tamil research scholars, Sathishkumar S and Premkumar R, alleged that similar irregularities had been found at the Kalaignar Centenary Library in Madurai.
They claimed that hundreds of English-language books published by Phoenix Publications were purchased by the library in March and April 2022.
The researchers said cross-verification of the books with the ISBN catalogue revealed discrepancies in titles and authorship.
For instance, they found that a book titled Economics During Pandemic was listed as Differential Calculus in the ISBN portal, with a different author’s name. They also questioned the authenticity and pricing of several publications.
Also Read: Perumal Murugan flags alleged irregularities in book procurement at Coimbatore’s Periyar Arivulagam
Amid these allegations, attention turned to an English-language book titled Democracy and Peoples Right in the Contemporary World, which was attributed to economist Jean Drèze and allegedly found in some public libraries in Tamil Nadu.
In an email clarification to The Hindu on Sunday, Drèze denied having authored the book. “I am foxed and baffled to read on social media that a book attributed to me, has surfaced in some public libraries of Tamil Nadu. If this book exists under my name, it must be fake, because I have never authored such a book,” he said.
He urged the Tamil Nadu government to take strict action, warning that it was important to “stem the rot before it spreads”, particularly if the book was AI-generated.
Meanwhile, School Education Minister Rajmohan has announced a special committee to examine books procured for government libraries across the State.
The government has also said that a complaint has been lodged with the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption over the alleged irregularities.
The controversy has now raised wider questions about the selection, verification and procurement of books using public funds, as well as the possibility of fabricated authorship and AI-generated content entering public library collections.
Also Read: Battle over ‘dubious’ books: TVK, DMK pass the buck; TN govt forms panel to inspect libraries
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Subash Chandra Bose)
