CHENNAI: Accusing C Joseph Vijay-led TVK government of trying to hide the name of the DMK’s flagship ‘Naan Mudhalvan’ scheme at the newly built Periyar Knowledge Centre in Coimbatore, DMK president and former chief minister M K Stalin on Friday alleged that the move stemmed from the ruling dispensation’s fear that people would associate the word ‘Mudhalvan’ with him.In a strongly worded statement issued ahead of the centre’s inauguration, Stalin alleged that the scheme’s name had been concealed on a pyramid-shaped computer desk in the science and technology section. He said the move would not erase 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.Stalin accused the TVK government of trying to obscure the achievements of the previous DMK regime, saying its projects would continue to shape Tamil Nadu for years. The new government could spend several years inaugurating projects initiated by the DMK, including libraries, bridges, Metro Rail corridors and the Kalaignar International Convention Centre at Muttukadu, he said.Taking a dig at Vijay, Stalin said the real achievement lay not in inaugurating a facility but in conceiving, planning and executing a project.The Periyar Knowledge Centre, built at a cost of Rs 300 crore, covers 1.98 lakh sq ft and has a ground floor and seven storeys. It was announced in the 2024-25 budget and is being built on land belonging to the Coimbatore Central Prison. The centre will house 1.25 lakh books, a science centre, a children’s library, a competitive examination section, Tamil and English book sections, and a digital library.Citing the Anna Centenary Library in Chennai and the Kalaignar Centenary Library in Madurai, Stalin said the DMK had made expanding access to knowledge a key priority. Libraries and science centres were part of the party’s efforts to promote reading, rational thinking and an informed society, he said.Stalin accused the TVK government of trying to hide the DMK’s achievements, likening the move to an attempt to cover the rising sun with one’s palm. He said the Periyar Knowledge Centre would become a landmark in Coimbatore and help spread knowledge.
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