DMK protests Keeladi report release delay, warns Centre of Parliament disruption
Escalating its demand for the immediate release and recognition of the Keeladi excavation report, the DMK Students Wing held a protest in Madurai on Thursday, warning the Union Government of disrupting Parliament proceedings if the findings are not accepted.According to DMK, the Keeladi excavation, carried out over a decade, unearthed 17,914 artefacts believed to offer critical insights into ancient Tamil civilisation. These findings were carbon-dated in various institutions across India and the United States. However, the report on the excavation has not yet been officially accepted or released by the Union Government.advertisementAt the protest in Madurai, the district where the Keeladi site is located, leaders alleged that the delay was ideologically motivated.
DMK MP Trichy Siva said, 'Keeladi civilization predates the Harappan civilisation by 600 years. But while the Centre allocated Rs 2,000 crore for the Indus Valley Civilisation, which they are attempting to rename Saraswati civilisation project, which has little evidence, it continues to ignore Keezhadi.'Siva also criticised attempts to rename the Indus Valley civilisation as the Saraswati civilisation, which is linked to a river mentioned only in religious texts and not backed by scientific evidence. 'When the North presents belief-based evidence, it is accepted. But when Tamils show scientific evidence, it is dismissed. This is a cultural and ideological war,' he said.He also alleged political interference in the excavation process. Archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishna, who led the Keeladi dig for three years and submitted a detailed report, was abruptly transferred to Delhi. His replacement, Sriram, reportedly conducted minimal work before declaring no substantial findings, Siva said.advertisementHowever, the Tamil Nadu State Archaeology Department continued the excavation, eventually uncovering brick structures, wells, ornaments, children's clay toys, and evidence suggesting that the ancient Tamil civilisation harnessed iron without passing through the Bronze Age, he added.'This time when Parliament begins, Keeladi will be our first issue. Until the Union Government recognises the report, we will not allow Parliament to function,' Siva warned.This comes after Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, during a visit to Chennai earlier, said that more scientific proof was required to validate the findings.This comment drew sharp criticism from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, who accused the BJP-led Centre of deliberately stalling the report. 'We fought for centuries to unearth our history. They fight every day to erase it. The world is watching. So is time,' Stalin said.
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