BJP govt's refusal to release Keeladi report an attack on Tamil culture: CM
Chennai: Chief minister
M K Stalin
said the Union govt's refusal to publish Keeladi report even after two years of its submission was an attack on Tamil culture.
"The Union BJP government, which seeks to suppress the cultural pride of Tamils by delaying the release of Keeladi excavation findings, has returned the final report submitted two years ago citing the need for additional evidence.
This is a blatant attack by the BJP regime on Tamil culture," he said in a letter to cadres.
Stalin said the Union govt's decision to turn down the report despite scientific backing, even as it continues to promote the 'imaginary' Saraswati civilisation which lacks scientific evidence, speaks about 'BJP's hatred for TN'.
"Till now, the BJP has not been able to prove the existence of Saraswati civilization through any scientific methods.
On the other hand, every artifact unearthed from the Keeladi, has undergone rigorous internationally accepted scientific analysis," he said.
Stalin also hit out at the AIADMK, alleging the party was silent despite Tamil cultural identity being suppressed. "Keeladi excavations took place when the AIADMK was in power in Tamil Nadu. However, the AIADMK has remained silent on the racial and linguistic hegemony shown by BJP by rejecting the Keeladi findings," he said.
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Stalin said AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami was silent because he had mortgaged his party to BJP. He charged that a former AIADMK minister had gone to the extent of describing Keeladi, a Tamil civilization as 'Bharat civilization,' in a bid to please the BJP.
Stalin said that TN govt has proven, through international studies on the antiquity of iron, that Tamil culture dates back more than 5,300 years. "It was the Dravidian model govt that released those findings. Yet, not a single tweet has been made by the Prime Minister or any BJP leader regarding the findings that establish the ancientness of Tamil culture," he said.
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