By Rajeev Khanna, IANS
Bhopal : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Saturday sought an apology from the government for its stand on the Ram Sethu issue and asked it to immediately stop dredging work at the site to built the Sethusamudram shipping canal. It also sought acceptance of Lord Ram as a historical character and demanded that Ram Sethu or Adam’s Bridge be declared a monument of national heritage.
The party passed a resolution to this effect on the second day of its ongoing national executive meet here.
The resolution says: “When the matter (Ram Sethu) was raised in the Supreme Court, the government filed an affidavit unabashedly denying the very existence of Sri Ram.
“This was an affront to the nation, its traditions and was in fact an insult to the freedom struggle, which according to Mahatama Gandhi was aimed at establishing Ram Rajya.”
The resolution attacks the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government stating: “The UPA government has no respect for the sentiments of the people – Hindu, Muslims and Christians – who revere the bridge as Setu Mandir, Rama Setu Adampul, Adam’s Bridge, Adi Setu etc.”
Stating that the government should own responsibility for the “sacrilege”, the party demanded that the government immediately stop all dredging work at the site and take steps to “assuage the hurt caused to the millions of countrymen” (for the damage caused to the structure believed by many Hindus to be the Ram Sethu referred to in the epic Ramayana).
“A government displaying such complete ignorance about its history, culture, tradition, literature and not accepting the contribution of great historic characters like Ram and great saints like Valmiki who had shaped the ethos of the nation from times immemorial does not deserve to stay in office,” the resolution says.
The BJP has condemned attempts being made by those seeking to construct the Sethusamudaram Canal Project as “anti national”.
Referring to the comments made by DMK leader M. Karunanidhi on the issue, the BJP said: “If the constituents of the UPA government continue to insult Sri Ram, then the inescapable conclusion would be that the Congress-led UPA government also approves such statements and is conniving with such acts of national shame.”
It held that if the statements on Lord Ram and the Ram Sethu had a “deleterious effect on the country’s unity and weakens the national fabric”, the Congress-led UPA government would be responsible.
Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi told the media that the BJP would provide all assistance to the Rameshwaram Ram Sethu Raksha Manch, the body leading the movement for the protection, preservation and declaration of Ram Sethu as a national heritage monument.
When questioned about the charges that the Sethusamudram canal project had been given clearance during the National Democratic Alliance rule, Joshi said: “We had just asked the Indian Navy to conduct a feasibility study and submitted a report. After that we were voted out of power. Earlier, four committees had been constituted by the Indian government at various intervals to conduct feasibility studies about the project and all of them had recommended the construction of a land-based canal system like the Suez and the Panama canal.”
When questioned on the failure of the NDA government to construct a Ram temple at Ayodhya, Joshi said: “The BJP never said that it will construct a temple. It has said that it will provide assistance to those leading the movement for construction of a temple at Ayodhya.”