BJP Government's attempt to hide Keeladi findings shows its hatred for Tamil pride, claims CM Stalin

The Hindu

5 hours ago

The BJP government's attempt to not accept the findings of the ancient excavation site of Keezhadi in Tamil Nadu's Sivaganga district by trying to put out of sight the final report only showed how much hatred it has for Tamil pride, Chief Minister M. K. Stalin alleged on Thursday (June 19, 2025).
Despite all the studies backed with scientific results, the Central Government, which was 'trying to hide the cultural pride of the Tamils' by delaying the publication of the Keezhadi excavation report, has failed to produce additional evidence even two years after the final report was submitted, he claimed.
Also read: Keeladi excavation report: Why are Centre and T.N. government at loggerheads?
CM Stalin said in a letter to party workers that it is 'a blatant attack by the BJP government on Tamil culture and pride.' The BJP wanted to destroy the symbol of Dravidian culture by promoting the fictional Saraswati civilisation, which lacked credible evidence, while dismissing the proven antiquity of Tamil culture, the CM said.
The artifacts obtained from the Keezhadi site were subjected to world-class scientific research and proved. 'The BJP government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not accepted it. That is how much hatred for the Tamil pride is embedded in that party's policies,' CM Stalin said.
He further said, 'As our leader Kalaignar (late Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi) said, the BJP, which looks at Tamil with bitterness and hatred, is continuously trying to hide the glory of Tamil culture unearthed at the Keezhadi excavation site.' The BJP government blatantly showed its hatred for Tamil culture by transferring the director who carried out the archaeological dig, Amarnath Ramakrishna, to Assam. Ramakrishna had submitted the initial report on the Keezhadi excavations to the Archaeological Survey of India in 2016 and he resumed work after a legal battle.
'Through the Keezhadi excavations it is clear that the Vaigai River civilisation of the Tamils is approximately 2,500 to 3,000 years old. This is not just conceptual information,' CM Stalin asserted.
The objects dug out from Keezhadi were classified and sent to the best laboratories in the country and the world for scientific analysis, and based on that, Ramakrishna submitted a 982-page final report in 2023. 'Despite all these studies and scientific results, the BJP government is trying to hide the cultural pride of the Tamils by delaying the publication of the Keezhadi excavation results. It has failed to produce additional evidence even after two years since the final report was submitted,' he claimed.
Opinion: Civilisation and its discontents
He flayed the Opposition AIADMK for being silent on the present action of the Centre, as its leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami has 'pawned' the AIADMK to the BJP.
In his letter, CM Stalin said the protests by the DMK youth wing and the ruling party's allies in Chennai and Madurai condemning the Centre's alleged rejection of the report on Keezhadi on June 18 would continue in order to echo in New Delhi.