Chennai, June 17 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M.K. Stalin on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led Union government for allegedly withholding the final report of the Keezhadi archaeological excavations, which many in the state see as crucial evidence of the ancient Tamil civilisation’s cultural and intellectual legacy.

In a strongly worded message posted on social media platform X, Stalin asserted that the antiquity of the Tamil race has already been scientifically established through the Keezhadi excavations and said it is the mindset of “some people” that needs to change, not the findings themselves.

“How many obstacles does our Tamil race face? We have been fighting against all of them for thousands of years, and with the help of science, we have been establishing the antiquity of our race! Yet some minds refuse to accept it. It’s not the statements that need to be corrected; it’s some minds,” he said.

Stalin’s comments came in support of a massive protest demonstration being organised by the DMK’s student wing near Madurai on Wednesday. The protest, to be held at Veeraganur, aims to condemn what the DMK describes as the Union government’s “anti-Tamil approach” in delaying the release of the full Keezhadi excavation report.

Reposting a message from the DMK Students’ Wing Secretary, Rajiv Gandhi, Stalin called upon party cadres and the public to participate in large numbers and raise their voices for Tamil rights.

“Keezhadi is the cradle of Tamils,” he declared.

The Keezhadi archaeological site, located in the Sivaganga district, has yielded significant findings over the years, including urban structures, Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions, and artefacts suggesting a highly literate and urbanised ancient Tamil society dating back to 600 BCE.

The excavations, carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and later by the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology, have drawn both national and international attention. However, controversy erupted when the ASI reportedly delayed publishing the final excavation reports and transferred the key archaeologist in 2016, prompting accusations from Tamil scholars and political leaders that the Centre was attempting to suppress evidence that highlighted the independent antiquity of Tamil civilisation.

With tensions escalating once again, Wednesday’s protest is being seen as a symbolic assertion of Tamil identity and a renewed demand for academic transparency and cultural justice.

–IANS

aal/vd