Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Monday urged the BJP-led Union government to grant approval for archaeological excavations at eight locations, including Keeladi, Adichanur and Nagapattinam.
The Tamil Nadu government has repeatedly sought approval for these excavations and has even taken up the issue with the Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), but they were being ignored, Mr. Stalin said.
In a social media post, the Chief Minister said: “Let Keeladi speak. Let history rise.”
Referring to the Tamil Nadu government’s request, he said: “The proposals were submitted in July 2025 and taken up at a meeting under the Director-General, ASI, in November. Yet permission remains pending for 8 months. Time and again we have raised this demand, and time and again it is being ignored.”
The excavation season in Tamil Nadu runs only from January to July, Mr. Stalin pointed out. “If this window is missed, monsoon conditions will stall fieldwork, delay vital research, and waste funds already allocated for 2025-2026. I want to ask, why this hesitation? The antiquity of Tamil civilisation does not diminish India. It adds to India’s civilisational pride. What is the BJP government afraid of? Approve the excavations and let history speak.”
Published – March 03, 2026 12:47 am IST
