False campaign carried out against Memorial library for Karunanidhi- CM Stalin

Chief Minister M K Stalin, on Wednesday, said that a false campaign is carried out against the proposed  memorial library for former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi at Madurai.

"There is a false campaign carried out in the state that the house of Pennycuick in Madurai is demolished and the memorial library is constructed in that place. The reply was provided outside the assembly by PWD Minister, E V Velu, that the library will not be constructed by demolishing the house of Pennicuick. If proof is provided that the place chosen for constructing the library is the place where Pennycuick lived, the state government will change the place but it is not true", said Stalin, in the Tamil Nadu assembly.

The issue of construction of a memorial library for Karunanidhi was brought by former Minister for Cooperation Sellur K Raju when he said that there are talks that the house in which Pennycuick resided in Natham road in Madurai will be demolished and the memorial library will be constructed in the place. Finance Minister Palanivel Thiagarajan replied that Pennycuick died in 1911 but the PWD quarters, which they claim that Pennycuick resided in, was constructed between 1912 to 1915 and so there is no truth in Sellur Raju claiming that Pennycuick resided in the house.

Sellur Raju replied that he did not criticise the state government but only said what people are saying. Chief Minister then replied that Sellur Raju being a three times MLA and former Minister should speak in assembly only with proofs and should not speak based on hearsay.

Chief Minister, on June 3 the birth anniversary of Karunanidhi, announced that the state government will construct a library for Karuanidhi in 2 lakh square feet at the cost of Rs 70 crore and the library will be named Kalaignar memorial library.