New Delhi, September 26
Having been forced to withdraw its controversial affidavit in the Ram Setu case, the UPA government is now planning to set up a special committee of experts to hear out all concerned parties, srutinise all the material afresh and suggest alternate methods of proceeding with the construction of the Setusuamudram canal project.
Highly placed UPA sources disclosed that the committee is likely to have ten members who will be appointed in consultation with the department of geology as well as culture and road transport ministries. The panel is likely to be finalised within the next couple of days, sources said, adding that this exercise is being coordinated by law minister H.R. Bharadwaj.
Sources also revealed that additional soliciter general Gopal Subramaniman had admitted in an internal note that he had vetted the offending affidavit which said there was no scientific or historical evidence to establish the existence of Lord Ram. Law ministry officials said Subramaniam had prepared the document as he believed it was the ‘best way’ to argue the case. The government, it was said, is not contemplating any action against the ASG as it believes it was nothing more than an ‘error of judgment’.
The Centre’s decision to constitute a special panel, it was explained, follows the assurance it gave to the Supreme Court earlier this month in its supplementary affidavit withdrawing the controversial paras which said there was no scientific or historical evidence to establish the existence of Lord Ram. It told the apex court that it will examine the whole issue afresh, scrutinise all the materials available to it and also give an opportunity to the petitioners to place their viewpoint before taking any final decision on the project. The Centre also sought three months from the court for a re-examination of the project.
The proposed panel is being set up precisely for this purpose. The Setusamudaram ship canal project has been challenged in the apex court on the plea that the dredging work will damage the historic bridge or Adam’s Bridge which is believed to have helped Hanuman reach Lanka.
Government sources said the basic objective of this panel is to look for an alternative route for the digging of the shipping canal so that the mythological Ram Setu bridge is not endangered.
Pushed on the back-foot by a resurgent BJP, which is using this issue to consolidate its Hindu vote bank, the Congress-led UPA has to go in for quick remedial measures. The Congress, however, finds itself on a sticky wicket. On one hand, it has to counter the charge from its political rivals that the Congress is ‘anti-Ram and anti-Hindu’. At the same time, it cannot scrap the Rs 2,400 crore canal project as its key ally, the DMK, will just not hear of it.
This highly emotive issue had resulted in serious convulsions within the Congress with several senior leaders openly targeting culture minister Ambika Soni for this faux pas as the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is under her charge. Congress president Sonia Gandhi had to intervene in the matter and law minister H.R. Bharadwaj was asked to undertake a damage control exercise. Consequently, the minister declared publicly that Ram is an integral part of our history and culture. It is an article of faith and cannot be made a matter of litigation.
