CM urges the Union government to grant approval for archaeological excavations in the state

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK 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 even raised the issue with the director general of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), but these were ignored, Mr Stalin said.

In a post on social media, the Prime 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 discussed in a meeting chaired by Director General ASI in November. Yet the clearance remains pending for eight months. Time and again we have raised this demand and time and again it has been 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 delay field work, delay vital research and waste funds already allocated for 2025-2026. I want to ask: Why this hesitation? The antiquity of Tamil civilization does not detract from India. It adds to India’s pride in civilization. What is the BJP government afraid of? Approve the excavations and let history speak.”