"Lord Ram is an imaginary character and Ram Sethu is not a man-made bridge. The Centre should not do anything to disturb the Sethusamudram project," he said.
'People said that Krishna did not exist, then what about the submerged Dwarka city that scientists have discovered.'
In the wake of the controversy, Soni, who also is in-charge of the Tourism Ministry, had called off her visit to the United States, to meet the prime minister.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to adjourn the hearing on the Sethusamudram project on the ground that the government was seeking a trust vote in the Parliament."How are we concerned with the trust motion? This court is only concerned with judicial matters," a bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan said while declining the plea of a petitioner, which has asked the court to wait for the outcome of the trust motion and defer the hearing for three weeks.
Caught between conflicting demands, Culture Minister Ambika Soni on Friday said government will take a decision that fits 'international norms and the sentiments' of all those involved while working out a solution for the controversial Sethusamudram project.
An interview with archeologist T Satyamurthy on the Sethusamudram project.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has said it will not allow the Centre to go ahead with the Sethusamudram ship canal project as it posed a "challenge" to Indian culture.
The Centre had withdrawn the controversial affidavits in which it had questioned the existence of Lord Rama and that the Rama Setu was a man-made structure.
It said the BJP and other communal forces had made a big issue of the affidavit submitted by the Centre.
Shipping Minister T R Baalu cites a Narmada Bachao Andolan vs Union of India case from 2000 to butress his point that the work has to continue.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear on July 26 the plea of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy seeking a direction to the Centre to declare the 'Ram Setu' as a national heritage monument.
He said the Sethusamudram project was being opposed by the Sangh Parivar on religious ground, but it was vital for economic development of the region.
A team of historians will work on the ambitious project to give a befitting reply to the Centre's affidavit that Ram did not exist
Gandhi stood firmly for Ram Rajya. He died with Ram's name on his lips. His samadhi in Delhi has only one inscription etched on it, He Ram. But Hindus are asked to provide proof of Rama's birthplace and the data of his bridge's construction plans.
In the midst of a political controversy over the Sethusamudram project, the Centre on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that there was no historical evidence to establish the existence of Lord Ram or the other characters in Ramayana.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday demanded an unconditional apology from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi for the controversial affidavit on Ram Sethu, "which hurt the sentiments of crores of people."
Bharath Gyan founder-trustee D K Hari speaks about the authenticity of his scientific report on the existence of Lord Ram.
"It's a full-scale civil war in the UPA, a signal of collapse of this unnatural alliance," BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said at a news conference in Delhi.
When a resolution, moved by Chief Minister M K Stalin, to urge the Centre to implement the Sethusamudram ship canal project was taken up for discussion in the House members spoke on their party stand.
He said that the Congress should also specify its stand on the Ram Sethu issue.
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AIADMK leaders said his party was not opposed to the Ram Sethu project, but was against its current alignment.
"I have not said anything more than Valmiki, who authored Ramayana. Valmiki had even stated that Ram was a drunkard. Have I said so?" he said
It is the hurt and bewilderment over the loss of a Gandhi to the saffron brigade that has made the media and anti-Hindutva politicos react with such venom and acid. He was not heard, not given a chance to present his case, nor did forensic experts examine the so-called proof in the form of a CD containing his speech.
In the complaint filed at the Parliament Street police station, she demanded action against Law Minister H R Bharadwaj, Culture Minister Ambika Soni and Shipping Minister T R Baalu.
The Congress party has categorically ruled out resignation by Minister for Culture and Tourism Ambika Soni over the Ram Sethu issue.
It is said that the UPA chairman is concerned about the ASI's stand on Lord Ram and Ram Sethu.
The Centre has been divided over the stand to be taken by it on the issue. The Culture Ministry wanted to be cautious on the issue by saying that no study has been conducted on whether the Ram Sethu between India and Sri Lanka was man-made or natural. The Shipping Ministry, however, wanted to state clearly in the affidavit that the bridge had been formed naturally.
Though the Supreme Court had stayed the Tamil Nadu bandh called for Monday by the ruling DMK and its allies on the Ram Sethu Project, buses in most parts of the state were off the roads and shops in main thoroughfares remained closed.
The petitioner submitted that the bandh was unwarranted as the matter relating to the Ram Sethu project was already pending before the apex court.
Speaking to newspersons, senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu said the party took strong exception to the DMK organising attacks on Hindu Munnani, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the offices in Tamil Nadu.
"Left Front's opposition to the Indo-US nuclear deal and Tamil Nadu's ruling party's attempt to destroy Ram Sethu would bring a radical change in Indian politics," he said.
Notwithstanding the dispute over the existence of Ram Sethu, Sri Lankan Tourism has come out with a novel idea of identifying some 50 sacred places as cited in Valmiki Ramayana, to attract more Indian tourists to the Island nation.
Strongly defending the India-United States nuclear agreement, she said that there was a need to keep a certain pace in power generation if the pace of the country's progress has to be maintained. Gandhi added that there were certain elements in the country who were acting as impediments in the nation's progress and they need to be given a befitting reply. "Such elements are not only enemies of the Congress, but enemies of peace and development." she said.
Though her party has been sharing some views of the Sangh Parivar -- including its opposition to the demolition of Ram Sethu -- the time is not ripe for an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalaithaa said.
The Bahujan Samaj Party will not enter into any poll alliance while contesting the next Assembly election in Madhya Pradesh.
It is for the first time that the 82-year-old BJP veteran will be skipping the meet.
Seldom does the apex court take up for open hearing on any matter on Sundays and holidays unless the issue involved is of grave importance.
BJP, AIADMK oppose the project while DMK and CPI(M) support the Sethusamudram shipping project across the Palk Strait. T E Narasimhan reports
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