CHENNAI: Asserting that there was not even an iota of hesitation on the part of the union government to release the Keezhadi excavation report, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Wednesday told CM MK Stalin that the heritage of Tamil Nadu should not be honoured through divisive sentiments but through intellectual honesty, while stressing that the state is an integral part of India.
The minister’s statement, posted on X, came a day after his remarks in Chennai that the excavation report submitted by archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishna was not scientific and lacked adequate evidence, kicked up a fresh round of controversy on the issue.
Though it was Minister Thangam Thennarasu who responded to Shekhawat on Tuesday, the union minister chose to address the CM on Wednesday. His stress on Tamil Nadu being an integral part of India echoed his accusations that some people were using the findings from Keezhadi to grow regional sentiments.
Stating that the union government would join Tamil Nadu in feeling proud if such research findings are proven scientifically, the union minister contended that the report submitted on Keezhadi needed further strong and scientific evidence for it to be accepted by today’s world of academia.
He said that instead of displaying haste in politicising the evidence on the excavation, the union government sought the support of Tamil Nadu government in this regard. “I can’t understand why TN is hesitating to extend its cooperation,” he posted on X.