Saints to decide future course of Ram Setu agitation

Nagpur, Aug 13 (UNI) Religious leaders from all over the country will converge at Rameshwaram on August 25 to decide the future course of the agitation against Sethusamudram Canal Project (SSCP), for which ''the historic Ram Setu (Adam's Bridge) between India and Sri Lanka is proposed to be demolished,'' RSS chief K S Sudershan said today.

Speaking to newspersons, Mr Sudershan said the issue was related to the sentiments of all sections of society and the agitation could assume proportions similar to the movement for the construction of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya.

Earlier, speaking at the conclusion of the daylong fast observed by activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to oppose the project, Mr Sudershan said the projections of savings because of the construction of the canal were wrong. ''There will be an expenditure of Rs 1,000 crore every year on dredging to remove the sand deposits on the sea bed. This amount itself is much more than the savings on the cost of the diesel due to the shortened voyage.

Besides, ships above 32,000 tonnes capacity would not be able to pass through the canal, and the cargo would have to be loaded onto smaller ships to take it across,'' he said.

''A dictatorial central government was ignoring public sentiment as well as advice from scientists, experts and even from the Navy to implement the project,'' Mr Sudershan alleged. The cabinet must adopt a resolution that the Ram Setu would never be demolished, even if it meant the collapse of the incumbent government, he said adding that the ruling UPA was not taking a firm stand as it was dependant on the DMK for the survival of its government.

Even if it was assumed for a moment that the Ram Setu was not a man-made structure, it was still a heritage structure that protected the interests of fishermen among whom were Christians and Muslims, Mr Sudershan said.

Asserting that the recent nuclear deal with the US was against the country's interests, Mr Sudershan pointed out that even the Left had opposed the treaty in Parliament today. India must have an arrangement for ratification of all international treaties by Parliament, he said adding the US government would have to get the deal ratified by the Congress and the Senate.

Mr Sudershan claimed that the Taj Mahal had not been built by Emperor Shah Jehan but was actually a Hindu structure named 'Tejomahal'. The motifs and carvings on the structure were of Hindu origin, he added.

The SSCP envisages linking Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar by making a shipping canal through Rameshwaram, thus enabling ships to save 16 hours of voyage of 400 nautical miles around Sri Lanka, thereby saving fuel worth crores of rupees every year.

UNI