Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu), Nov 4 DMK president and former Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday expressed relief that the Periyar Arivulagam and Science Centre was nearing completion when the TVK came to power, saying the project could have been shelved had his government left it unfinished.
His remarks come amid accusations by the DMK that the government led by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay is stalling or abandoning several infrastructure projects initiated during the previous DMK regime.
“Fortunately, 99.75 per cent of the work on this library named after Thanthai Periyar (E V Ramasamy) has been completed. Had we stopped it midway, it would not have been surprising if this government had held a closing ceremony for it. Thankfully, it has survived,” Stalin told reporters here.
Later in the evening, addressing a public meeting at VOC Grounds here, Stalin launched a scathing attack on the Vijay-led government, alleging that the CM relied heavily on an astrologer for administrative as well as personal decisions.
“What dress he should wear, where his office should be located, what ‘pottu’ (tilak) he should apply—isn’t the astrologer deciding all this in this government?” Stalin asked.
Mocking Vijay, Stalin alleged that the CM even relied on astrological advice to decide the dates of official events and his choice of attire, including a silk dhoti and shirt.
Earlier in the day, Stalin visited the newly inaugurated facility along with Dravidar Kazhagam president K Veeramani. He said he wished to see more such libraries established across the state.
Stalin said the large gathering had prevented him from viewing the facility at leisure and expressed a desire to return for a more comprehensive visit.
Highlighting the DMK’s focus on establishing knowledge centres, Stalin recalled that the Anna Centenary Library in Chennai was set up during the tenure of his father and the then CM M Karunanidhi.
During his own tenure as CM, the Kalaignar Centenary Library was established in Madurai under the ‘Dravidian model’ government, he said.
Listing other projects initiated during the previous DMK regime, Stalin said orders had been issued to establish a library named after Quaid-e-Millat in Tirunelveli, while work on a library named after veteran leader K Kamaraj in Tiruchirappalli was nearing completion and would be inaugurated soon.
Stalin also appealed to students and young people to visit the Periyar Arivulagam to learn about the history of the Dravidian movement, its core principles and the ideals of Periyar.
The Periyar Arivulagam and Science Centre, inaugurated by Vijay here on October 16, features a 356-seat auditorium, a library with facilities for persons with disabilities, a 90-seat planetarium and other amenities.
The library houses around one lakh books covering a wide range of subjects—Tamil and English literature, linguistics, mathematics, science, engineering, medicine, law, sociology, management and technology.
The complex has parking facilities for 130 four-wheelers and 450 two-wheelers, besides escalators, elevators, a sewage treatment plant, toilets and drinking water facilities.
(PTI News)
