By IANS
Chennai : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday expressed anger over DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi repeatedly making impolite references to Hindu deity Lord Ram, saying “a corrupt lobby within the DMK was putting pressure on the government to continue with the Sethusamudram canal project”.
In yet another curious turn in Tamil Nadu politics, MDMK leader Vaiko Monday defended the controversial Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project (SSCP) even as its ally the AIADMK opposed it.
Speaking at a public function in Erode, about 600 km south of Chennai, Karunanidhi had said on Sunday that the opposition to the SSCP was part of a large conspiracy by “some jackals who wanted to destroy the Dravidian movement”.
“Some say there was a person over 17 lakh (1.7 million) years ago. His name was Ram. Do not touch the bridge (Ram Sethu) constructed by him… From which engineering college did he graduate? Is there any proof of this?” Karunanidhi asked.
“Only to prevent the good scheme, they got hold of the name of a person who was supposed to have lived 17 lakh years ago,” he said.
Vaiko Monday said: “Using the name of religion to stop the Sethusamudram project was totally unacceptable to the MDMK”, adding, “The Sethusamudram project would benefit not only Tamil Nadu but also to the entire country.”
In Allahabad, senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi lambasted Karunanidhi and the DMK, saying: “The proposed demolition of Ram Setu, to which we are opposed tooth and nail, would enormously benefit professional dredgers who will make billions out of this project.”
“We suspect that there is a lobby among Tamil Nadu politicians, particularly DMK, which is putting pressure on the government to go ahead with the project in its present form despite nationwide resentment,” Joshi said.