The BJP, at the national level, has consistently opposed the construction of the shipping canal on “religious and cultural grounds.”
On January 12, the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution urging the Union government to implement the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project. The project, originally drawn up in 1860, is intended to create an easier shipping route between India and Sri Lanka. Creating the route would involve digging a channel linking the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait. Interestingly, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs backed Thursday’s resolution under the condition that no harm comes to the natural limestone formation known as Adam’s Bridge or Ram Sethu.
The BJP, at the national level, has since 2005 been opposing the Sethusamudram project, citing “religious and cultural sentiments” and believe the limestone formation was created by the Hindu god Rama. The state BJP’s decision to back the resolution therefore comes as a surprise. Speaking at the Assembly, BJP floor leader Nainar Nagendran said, “It [the Ram Sethu] is said to have been built in the time of Rama whom we worship as a god. As long as the channel is built without doing any harm to it, we welcome the project.”
Hardly two weeks ago, on December 31, a row broke out between the BJP and the Congress in Parliament over the Ram Sethu. Union Minister Jitendra Singh said that “it wasn’t possible to provide direct information about the origin and age of the Ram Sethu.” The minister was responding to questions on whether satellite imaging could provide adequate proof that the limestone shoal had existed during the historical period that Hindus believe Ram lived. The minister’s response caused Congress Chief Minister for Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel to say that the BJP “should apologise for misleading the people.” He further said, “When the Congress-led Union government had said the same thing, we were branded as anti-Ram.” The Chhattisgarh CM also asked in which category “these so-called devotees of Lord Ram,” should be put.
Read: TN Assembly unanimously passes resolution urging implementation of Sethusamudram project
The row is only the latest in confrontations between the BJP, the Congress and its allies in Tamil Nadu, over the Ram Sethu. The project was green-lit by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in 2005. Two years later, the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) submitted to the Supreme Court, during the UPA-tenure, that Rama was a mythical character. This affidavit was withdrawn by the Congress later. In 2007 and later in 2012, J Jayalalithaa demanded that the Ram Sethu be declared a national monument. Also in 2007, the BJP had taken issue with M Karunanidhi’s statements regarding the Ram Sethu. The erstwhile chief minister of Tamil Nadu and late Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief had said that there was no historical proof for the existence of Rama. He had also alleged at the time that the BJP was attempting to stall the Sethusamudram project. Late BJP leaders like LK Advani had taken issue with the statement and demanded that Karunanidhi withdraw his statements.
Meanwhile, while introducing the resolution in favour of the Sethusamudram project on Thursday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said that the Sethusamudram project’s implementation would improve Tamil Nadu’s economy, notably in the southern regions, and provide employment opportunities for the youth in the state. However, he added that the Union government’s stance on the project would be a hurdle for the development of Tamil Nadu.
Source: The News Minute