A war of words has erupted between Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat over the Keezhadi archaeological excavations, with Stalin accusing the BJP-RSS of attempting to erase Tamil Nadu’s ancient heritage and the Union government insisting on ‘more scientific evidence.’
In a strongly worded statement, Chief Minister Stalin lashed out at what he called a systematic effort by the BJP-RSS ecosystem to deny the antiquity of Tamil civilisation, despite mounting archaeological and scientific evidence.
Keezhadi Row: Centre Promotes Sarasvati Civilisation?
Taking to X, the CM said, “Even when confronted with carbon-dated artefacts and Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) reports from International Laboratories on the #Keezhadi excavations, they continue to demand ‘more proof.’ And here is the “Proof”. But on the contrary, despite strong opposition from respected historians and archaeologists, the BJP continues to promote the mythical Sarasvati Civilisation. They do so without credible evidence, while dismissing the rigorously proven antiquity of Tamil culture.”
He alleged that while the Centre aggressively promotes the so-called Sarasvati Civilisation—rejected by many historians and archaeologists—it dismisses the Keezhadi findings that are backed by rigorous scientific methods. “We fought for centuries to unearth our history. They fight every day to erase it. The world is watching. So is time,” Stalin added.
Stalin’s remarks were in direct response to Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat’s June 11 comments, in which he accused the DMK government of not cooperating with the Centre on Keezhadi research and ‘politicising’ the excavation findings.
‘Instead Of Politicising, Support Centre’: Minister Shekhawat
In his tweet, Shekhawat said that the central government would fully support and celebrate any scientifically validated heritage discovery. He said, “Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin, we do not hesitate to release any statement. In fact, if such research is scientifically proven, we will also be proud of it along with you. But for the acceptance of today’s scientific world, we need more scientific and strong evidence. That is why, instead of rushing to politicise the excavation data, we have requested the Tamil Nadu government to support the central government in continuing the research until more scientific data is available.”
He questioned the Tamil Nadu government’s alleged hesitation to collaborate further, saying, ‘Tamil Nadu is an integral part of India — its heritage should be recognised with honest scholarship, not through divisive narratives.’
The Keezhadi excavations, located near Sivaganga in Tamil Nadu, have become a cultural flashpoint in the broader ideological tug-of-war between the state’s Dravidian political identity and the BJP’s pan-Indian nationalist narrative.