Chennai, Jun 20 (PTI) Excavation at the ancient archaeological site of Keezhadi in Tamil Nadu’s Sivaganga district was carried out during the previous AIADMK regime and the ruling DMK was "doing politics on the Keezhadi findings" former AIADMK Minister K Pandiarajan claimed on Friday.
The DMK, however, hit back at the opposition party alleging that the AIADMK had not allocated funds for carrying out the dig at Keezhadi.
"Pandiarajan claims that the previous AIADMK regime had allocated Rs 105 crore for the excavations. It is a blatant lie," DMK’s doctors’ wing secretary and legislator from the city Dr Ezhilan Naganathan said.
The Thousands Light MLA told reporters here that it was the DMK government which allotted Rs 27 crore to carry out excavations at Keezhadi and 37 other places in Tamil Nadu.
He flayed the AIADMK for being ‘silent’ on the Centre’s action of not recognising the Keezhadi report that was backed with scientific data and comprehensive research. "It seems both the AIADMK and the BJP are trying to hide the history of the Tamils," Ezhilan said and sought to know why the then AIADMK government did not send specimens of the artifacts for carbon dating.
Pandiarajan, who has been former Minister of Tamil Official Language and Tamil Culture, said, "More than in Keezhadi, the Kodumanal site in Erode district shows clear evidence of the use of iron. The ruling DMK is giving a build up as though the Archaeology department came into existence only due to the findings at Keezhadi."
The AIADMK identified 39 potential sites and ordered excavation at 33 places in the state and went beyond Keezhadi. Much of the artifacts that were obtained during the dig at Keezhadi were unearthed during the previous AIADMK rule, he claimed.
"Under the leadership of then Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami we conducted an exhibition with the artifacts obtained from Keezhadi in Chicago during the World Tamil Conference. Then, it was I who coined the phrase: "Keezhadi - Nam Thaai Madi (Keezhadi excavation - on our Tamil Mother’ lap) as a title for the exhibition," Pandiarajan told reporters here.