Chennai: Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagendran has questioned why Chief Minister Vijay has not publicly thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union government for bringing back the Anai Mangalam copper plates from the Netherlands.
In a statement, Nagendran said the copper plates, cast during the reign of Rajendra Chola, record a donation made by Chola emperor Rajaraja Chola—who followed Saivism—towards the establishment of a Buddha temple, including the gifting of an entire village.
Calling the recovery a significant moment for Tamil Nadu’s history, he said the return of the artefacts after about 300 years amounted to “retrieving history” itself. He asked why the Chief Minister had not spoken about the development.
Nagendran further alleged that while the Chief Minister had not shown readiness to welcome the returned plates, allies in his coalition were “distorting” their history. He asked whether the government was unwilling to acknowledge the state’s heritage or to thank the Prime Minister and the Centre.
