NDTV
New Delhi, Sep 13: The government has admitted that its affidavit filed in the Setu Samudran Canal project was a mistake.
Union Law Minister Hans Raj Bhardwaj has said the government will withdraw the offending remarks from the affidavit and file a fresh one.
He further clarified that Lord Ram cannot be made subject to a debate.
The move comes soon after Congress President Sonia Gandhi stepped in to do some damage control in the wake of the controversy over the Centre's affidavit in the Supreme Court doubting the existence of Lord Ram.
Sonia has asked the government to clarify on what basis the Supreme Court was told that there is no proof of the existence of Lord Ram.
Highly-placed sources said she directed the government to take immediate remedial steps, which made the Centre to act on a warfooting.
Stepping up the offensive, BJP President LK Advani asked whether the government would ever dare to make such a statement about any religion other than Hinduism.
"This affidavit could not have been filed in a casual manner. Some thinking must have gone into it. Ministerial responsibility must also be fixed. Under whose guidance was this affidavit filed?'' said Advani.
Nationwide agitation
Sonia's direction came against the backdrop of the BJP and Sangh Parivar outfits raring to make the Ram Setu issue one of its major planks to consolidate its Hindutva vote bank and attack the Congress for playing politics of minority appeasement.
Incidentally, Law and Justice Minister H R Bhardwaj had a meeting with Leader of the Opposition L K Advani last night where the minister said in no uncertain terms that Lord Ram is a matter of faith.
Her intervention led to the government's decision to withdraw the controversial parts of the affidavit filed in the apex court on Thursday questioning the existence of Lord Ram.
The Sangh Parivar has raised objections to the project, saying it would demolish the Ram Setu bridge, which according to the Ramyana, was built when Lord Ram crossed over to Sri Lanka.
The saffron brigade has threatened a nationwide agitation against the government for hurting religious sentiments.
"Lord Ram existed but there is no Setu. A lot of things happen geographically. BJP is just making an issue out of the whole thing,'' said Lalu Prasad Yadav, Union Railway Minister.
Bone of contention
At the center of the storm is a thin ridge-like formation between India and Sri Lanka which is formed of sand, limestone and coral and is known as Ram Setu or Adam's bridge.
According to the epic Ramayana, the bridge was built by Lord Ram's army of monkeys, when he needed to cross over to Lanka.
The Setu Samudram Ship Channel Project envisages dredging a channel across the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka.
At present ships coming to the peninsula have to circumnavigate Sri Lanka. But this project, when completed, will shorten the journey by 785 km, cutting down travel time by nearly 30 hours.
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