Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK president MK Stalin has launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led central government, accusing it of deliberately attempting to suppress findings from the Keeladi archaeological site to undermine Tamil cultural pride. The controversy follows the transfer of senior Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officer Amarnath Ramakrishna, whose detailed report on the Keeladi excavations has become the centre of an ideological and political storm.
Row Over ASI’s Demands and Officer’s Transfer
The tensions escalated after ASI asked Ramakrishna to revise his 982-page report on the Keeladi excavations, nearly a year and a half after it was submitted. The agency claimed that expert reviewers had suggested five corrections for improving the report’s authenticity. However, Ramakrishna, who led the first two excavation phases at Keeladi, refused to rework the report. He defended his work in a letter dated May 23, citing AMS dating results of 23 artefacts that placed the Keeladi civilisation between the 8th century BCE and 3rd century CE. These findings were independently validated by labs in Pune, Bengaluru, Florida, and Italy.
Just weeks later, on June 17, the ASI transferred Ramakrishna from his role as director of the National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA) in Delhi to a new posting in Greater Noida. The move has drawn criticism from political quarters, with MK Stalin claiming it was an attempt to erase archaeological evidence that does not fit into the ideological narrative promoted by the BJP and its parent organisation, the RSS.
MK Stalin Says DMK Will Defend Tamil Pride
In a strongly worded letter to DMK party workers, MK Stalin described ASI’s request for additional evidence and the subsequent transfer of Ramakrishna as a “blatant attack” on Tamil identity and culture. He asserted that the final report submitted in 2023 already had scientific backing and the BJP’s actions stem from a “hatred” of Tamil pride. MK Stalin further challenged the BJP to provide proof of the existence of the Saraswathi civilisation, calling it a myth.
He said the people of Tamil Nadu see through the Centre’s attempts to downplay their heritage and warned that the DMK’s struggle to uphold Tamil identity will continue until Delhi. “The slogans raised in Keeladi and Chennai are just the beginning. They will echo until they reach Delhi,” MK Stalin said.
Adding to the tension, the DMK’s student wing staged a protest in Madurai on June 18 against the Centre’s handling of the Keeladi findings. MK Stalin had previously said on June 13 that the BJP and RSS were rejecting scientifically backed discoveries because they did not align with their preferred historical narrative.
The Union government, however, has countered these allegations. Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat accused the DMK of politicising the issue and not cooperating with the Centre on Keeladi research. He alleged that the state government was obstructing joint research efforts and using archaeological discoveries as political tools.
As the debate deepens, the dispute over Keeladi’s significance has evolved into a wider cultural and political battleground, reflecting long-standing tensions between the Dravidian movement in Tamil Nadu and the Hindutva-driven ideology promoted by the BJP at the national level.
