Approve excavations at 8 sites, let history speak, TN CM tells Centre

Chennai, Mar 2 (PTI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday urged the Centre to immediately grant approval to archaeological excavations at 8 places in the state to showcase the antiquity of Tamil civilisation.

Questioning the Centre for repeatedly “ignoring” the state’s request for the excavation, the chief minister said, “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,” the chief minister said in a post on the social media platform ‘X.’ He sought the Union government’s immediate approval to commence the excavation at 8 archaeological sites, including Keeladi, Adichanur and Nagapattinam.

“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,” he said.

The excavation season in Tamil Nadu ran only from January to July. If this window was missed, then monsoon conditions would stall fieldwork, delay vital research and waste funds already allocated for 2025-26, Stalin said. PTI JSP ADB