CHENNAI: DMK president and Chief Minister MK Stalin accused the BJP-led union government of attempting to suppress and bury the pride of Tamil culture that emerged through the Keezhadi excavations.
Praising the DMK student wing for organising an agitation - Keezhadi Engal Thaimadi - in Madurai on June 18, Stalin wrote a detailed letter in Murasoli, the DMK’s mouthpiece, emphasising the importance of the excavation findings. The protest was held to condemn the union government for not approving the archaeological report on the Keezhadi findings.
“In 2013, during the UPA government, the ASI identified, through its inspections along the Vaigai river bank, that Keezhadi was an important settlement. The BJP government continued the excavations, but after three phases in 2015, the work was halted. The remaining seven phases were carried out by the state archaeology department,” Stalin said in the letter.
He also recalled how officer Amarnath Ramakrishna was transferred from the project and later returned after a legal battle to continue his work.
“The artefacts found at the excavation sites were sent to renowned laboratories across the world for testing. Based on the results, Ramakrishna submitted a scientifically grounded 982-page report in 2023. However, even after two years, the BJP government has not approved the report and has instead sent it back, seeking additional proof,” he added.
Referring to the scientific findings that iron was used in the Tamil region over 5,300 years ago, Stalin said, “BJP leaders, including PM Narendra Modi, did not even acknowledge it on social media, even though Tamil Nadu is part of India and Tamils are Indian citizens. BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu are betraying Tamils for positions.”