Mindset must change, not reports: Stalin on Keeladi
Chennai: Chief minister
M K Stalin
on Tuesday hit out at the BJP govt saying only the mindset of the people at the Centre should change and not 'reports.' He was referring to the Keeladi report submitted by archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishna, which was yet to be published by Union govt.
Hitting out at Union govt for asking Amarnath to rework the report, Stalin invited party cadres to participate in large numbers in a protest announced by the DMK students wing in Madurai on Wednesday against the BJP govt for not accepting the Keeladi report. "Despite hurdles faced by the Tamil community for several thousands of years, we have progressed to prove its ancientness through scientific evidence. What needs to change is not the reports but the mindset of people who are not ready to accept them," he said on social media post.
DMK student wing secretary R Rajiv Gandhi told reporters in Madurai that the union govt was deliberately delaying the publication of the Keeladi report. "The findings from Keeladi prove the existence of a literate, urban Tamil civilization over 2,500 years ago. But the Centre is afraid it will undermine the Indus-Saraswati narrative," he said asking the public to support DMK's protest demanding publication of the report.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Switch to UnionBank Rewards Card
UnionBank Credit Card
Apply Now
Undo
Meanwhile, Madurai MP Su Venkatesan accused the Union govt of targeting Amarnath, who led the early phases of the Keeladi excavations, for bringing out unknown facts about the rich Tamil heritage.
Venkatesan told reporters in Madurai that Amarnath's transfer to the documentation wing in Noida was the latest in a series of actions aimed at suppressing the significance of the Keeladi findings. "In 2017, he was removed from excavation work and denied permission to write the report. Only after a legal battle he was allowed to submit his report. Two years after submission, the ASI has not released the report yet," he said.
Venkatesan said the Centre is sending a message that any official who reveals 'uncomfortable' historical truths would be sidelined. "This is not just an administrative transfer. It is part of a pattern of intimidation," he said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
24 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Karnataka proposes to increase daily working hours, overtime
In what has riled the trade unions in Karnataka, the State government has proposed to bring an amendment to the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishment Act, 1961, to increase the daily working hours to 10 from the current nine hours, besides allowing more overtime hours. The proposed amendment, circulated by the Labour Department among the stakeholders to elicit their response, allows work hours to be increased to 10 a day and 48 a week. The proposal caps the total number of hours of work, including overtime, to 12 hours a day — up from the present 10 hours a day. Union govt.'s direction The Karnataka government, in its draft amendment, has cited the Union government's directions to all States to consider amending the working hour limits through legislative or regulatory changes appropriately. The Centre has also pointed out that similar amendment has been brought in Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand — all BJP-governed State. Among other amendments, there is a proposal to increase the total number of overtime hours per employee to 144 hours in a period of three continuous months from the present 50 hours. What the Act governs The Act governs a large number of shops and commercial establishments, including hotels, pubs, bars, restaurants, offices, and IT and ITES industries offering commercial services. The proposed amendment also seeks to remove those shops and commercial establishments employing less than 10 persons from the purview of the Act, which would mean they are exempted from filing annual returns. A meeting of stakeholders has been convened here on Wednesday by the Labour Department to finalise the amendment being brought to the 1961 Act and the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Rules, 1963.
The Hindu
24 minutes ago
- The Hindu
IT, ITES sectors to benefit the most with 10-hour shifts
Among the biggest beneficiaries of the amendment being proposed to the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishment Act, 1961, will be hundreds of companies in the Information Technology and Information Technology-Enabled Services (IT & ITES) sectors offering software services, backend IT services and hardware sales, among others. The State government has proposed to increase the daily working hours to 10 from the current nine hours, besides allowing more overtime hours. A meeting is being held on Wednesday to discuss the proposals. 'The amendment will legitimise the violation of working hours that is already happening in the sector,' said Meenakshi Sundaram, general secretary, CITU, Karnataka, calling it at attempt to 'legalise the illegal act'. Succumbing to pressure Trade unions argued that this was being pushed by the Centre. Mr. Sundaram, said, 'It is unfortunate that the Congress government is not trying to establish a different policy from that of the BJP government. It is succumbing to the pressure of the Centre and compromising the basic rights of the citizens of Karnataka.' Pointing out to a similar exercise by the State government for the factory workers in the State, he said that this would only reduce employment generating potential while helping only profit making. 'Their idea of to keep shops and establishments for long hours hoping to increase the turnover. However, people do not have purchasing capacity. Instead, the government should work towards increasing the income of people.' Mr. Sundaram said that the government has allowed simplification of record maintenance, certification and book maintenance among others. The absence of a strict compliance and monitoring, AITUC State secretary M. Satyananda said, could lead to 'wage theft' where employers could force employees to work for longer hours without increasing wages. 'How can the Labour Department, which faces staff shortage, inspect thousands of commercial establishments? There will be no mechanism to monitor. Increasing hours would reduce the rest period for workers as well,' he said. 'Ease of doing business' Taking a contrary view, president of Karnataka Employers' Association B.C. Prabhakar said that it would help in 'ease of doing business' by exempting establishments employing less than 10 persons from submitting documents. 'In Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Uttarakhand, the exemption for submitting annual returns has been exempted to establishments that hire less than 20 persons,' said Mr. Prabhakar. He said that increase in the cap for daily working hours and extra overtime is a 'progressive measure.' 'It legitimises what is already going on,' he said.
Hindustan Times
26 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Hapur welcomes father-son duo selected as police recruits
In an encouraging development, a father-son duo from Hapur has been selected in the Uttar Pradesh Police constable recruitment and received their appointment letters from Union Home Minister Amit Shah and chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow on Sunday. The two returned to Hapur on Tuesday to a warm and joyous welcome from family members and local residents. Yashpal Nagar, a 41-year-old Army veteran, and his 20-year-old son Shekhar have emerged as a symbol of dedication, perseverance, and strong family bonds through their shared achievement. The duo was among 60,000 new recruits who received appointment letters at a grand function held at the Defence Expo grounds in Lucknow. Yashpal, a resident of Udayrampur Nangla village in Dhaulana tehsil of Hapur district, served in the Indian Army for 18 years after being recruited in 2002. He took voluntary retirement (VRS) in 2019 and later took up a job with the Army Ordnance Corps in Delhi. His elder son Shekhar had been preparing for the police recruitment exam, and inspired by his son's determination, Yashpal too decided to prepare for the exam. The two enrolled in the same coaching institute in Delhi and spent over two years preparing for the exam. They studied side by side in a library, yet kept their relationship private from fellow students — no one knew they were father and son. 'We used to sit close to each other while studying, but no one ever guessed our bond,' said Yashpal. Both appeared for the exam on the same day at different centres. When the results were declared in October, they discovered that they had both qualified. The emotional highlight came on Sunday during a pre-deployment briefing by Hapur SP Kunwar Gyananjay Singh at Naveen Mandi, where it was revealed that the two had been selected together. Yashpal is set to undergo training in Shahjahanpur, while Shekhar will begin his training in Bareilly. 'I feel immense pride in being selected alongside my son. After serving in the Army, I now have another opportunity to serve the nation through the police force,' said Yashpal. Sharing his excitement, Shekhar added, 'Our hard work has paid off. I'll now start preparing for the sub-inspector examination.'
