It has terribly hurt Hindu sentiments: Modi

Vadodara, Sep18: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today made a scathing attack on the Congress-led UPA government, saying the stage was now set for a fight between ''Ram and Rome'' and the former would be the ultimate winner. Addressing a huge public rally here, he said, ''The government's contention, in the affidavit filed in the Supreme Court denying the existence of Lord Ram and Ram Sethu, was not a mere mistake but a sin. It has terribly hurt Hindu sentiments.'' The people must fight unitedly to defeat this ''conspiracy'' aimed at dividing the Hindu society, he added.

''The Congress people are living in the paradise of fools. They can never wipe out the memory of Lord Ram and Ramayan by filing such an affidavit in the apex court. The UPA government's move on the issue was unprecedented,'' Mr Modi said.

The Chief Minister demanded that responsibility must be fixed on this matter against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and the concerned department minister. By filing an affidavit against Lord Ram, the Centre had committed a big blunder as demon king Ravana did by setting Hanuman's tail on fire, he said amidst thunderous applause from the crowd.

Mr Modi opined that the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project could be implemented in the region without destroying the Ram Sethu. The government must find an alternative way for the project, he added.

The Chief Minister, who was addressing the rally organised to mark the inauguration of three JNNURM-funded developmental projects worth Rs 48 crore in Vadodara, claimed that Gujarat had made remarkable progress in all spheres during his tenure.

''Now Gujarat could be rightly called the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) of India as none of the SEZs set up in other parts of the country could match with that of Gujarat,'' he claimed.

UNI