Madurai MP Su. Venkatesan has criticised the Centre and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for asking archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishna, who unearthed an ancient civilisation in Keeladi in Sivaganga district, to resubmit the report on his findings.

Speaking at a press meet in Madurai on Friday, Mr. Venkatesan said that there was a political motive behind this. When the history of Tamil civilisations were being unearthed, the political motive behind seeking a revision of the findings cannot be accepted, he said.

Mr. Ramakrishna who led the archaeological excavations has submitted the report based on the findings. When the ASI asked him to resubmit the report, he clarified that it was based on the conclusive findings of the excavation at the site and refused to revise it. Even after this, why was a revision to the report being sought, Mr. Venkatesan asked.

They have questioned the periods that pushed back the timeline of Tamil civilization. They have sought a clarification to change it which cannot be accepted, he said, adding that Mr. Ramakrishna had already made the clarifications and accepted the changes.

Mr. Venkatesan urged that the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) draft regulations on gold loans should be dropped entirely. He thanked Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for the suggestions to ensure that the requirements of small gold loan borrowers are not adversely affected. The regulations would have affected the middle class and the poor people, he said.

He said that the CPI (M) has planned to take out a march in June highlighting various issues concerning the Centre, the State and Madurai Corporation. He said that there were several pressing issues that needed to be addressed, including regarding Madurai’s growth and the implementation of the projects that were promised. The main objective was to find solutions for the issues and address the gap between the people and the authorities, he said.