“Dravidianists Rush To Claim Credit For Return Of Anaimangalam Copper Plates; Govt Records Tell A Different Story”, The Commune, May 18, 2026
“Just as the news of the return of the the historic Leiden/Anaimangalam copper plates of Rajendra Chola I from Leiden University in the Netherlands to India hit the headlines, the Dravidianist ecosystem began getting busy claiming credit for it.
DMK Rajya Sabha MP NR Elango shared a video of his earlier statement in the upper house regarding the Chola-era Leiden (Anaimangalam) copper plates as well as the Pandya-era Velvikudi plates.
Supporting his claim, separatist Thirumurugan Gandhi shared ‘proof’ of the unstarred question from November 2024. Gandhi claimed, “They are now running false propaganda claiming that it was Modi who brought back the Anaimangalam copper plates from the time of Rajendra Chola I, which were preserved at Leiden University in the Netherlands, to India. But it was actually N. R. Elango, Rajya Sabha MP of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, who consistently raised his voice in Parliament about the importance of these copper plates and the need to bring them back to India, thereby drawing the attention of the Modi government to the issue. I have shared his parliamentary speech. His demand did not stop there. He also urged the government to bring back the “Velvikudi Copper Plates” from the London archives — Pandya-era copper plates dating back to 769–770 CE during the reign of Nedunjadaiyan Varaguna Pandiyan. The Modi government has retrieved only the Chola-era copper plates from Leiden University because it suits the RSS-style “Akhand Bharat” narrative they seek to build using Chola history. But they have shown no interest in recovering the Pandya-era copper plates, which are among the oldest surviving Tamil copper plate inscriptions predating the Chola period. It was N. R. Elango who raised questions in Parliament as early as 2024 regarding the retrieval of these Pandya copper plates as well. It is only because of his sustained pressure that these copper plates have now reached India. He is the one who deserves appreciation for this effort. Instead, propaganda is being spread claiming that they were recovered because of Modi’s foreign visit. The Sanghis, who push Hindi through the three-language policy and display hostility toward Tamil language and Tamil identity, did not recover these copper plates out of concern for Tamil heritage. We must strengthen our pressure keeping in mind that the Velvikudi copper plates lying in London could provide us with invaluable historical information. Most importantly, both the Chola and Pandya copper plates must immediately be sent to Tamil Nadu. Neither the Cholas nor the Pandyas fought for the dream called India. This history belongs to the Tamils, and has nothing to do with the Brahminical-Indian combine. The Sangh Parivar has no legitimacy to appropriate and claim ownership over it……..”
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