Rama Setu -1

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Same news as reported in 84:

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><span style='color:red'>Ramar Sethu struggle aimed at bloodbath: MK</span>

CHENNAI: Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Friday charged that <b>“religious fundamentalists from North India”</b> who had demolished the Babri mosque raking up the Ram temple issue and unleashed a bloodbath then were now seeking to stall the Sethu Samudram Canal Project in the name of saving the Ramar Sethu (Adam's Bridge).

“I am not raising the Dravidian land issue again by making this charge but a<b> majority of the fundamentalists who are opposing the project are from North India</b>,” he said replying to a calling attention motion on the Rama Setu in the Legislative Assembly.

Karunanidhi contended that these fundamentalists wanted to stall the project as they were jealous that if the Sethu Canal was established then there would be all round development in the South.  <!--emo&:roll--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ROTFL.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='ROTFL.gif' /><!--endemo-->

He appealed to them not to obstruct a project that would lead to prosperity in terms of foreign exchange, employment and overall growth.

Noting that AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa had threatened to go to court to save the Ramar Sethu, Karunanidhi read out a portion of the AIADMK's 2001 election manifesto to prove that she had supported the Sethu Samudram project.

The manifesto had mentioned that “the prime objective of the project is to remove the sand mass and rocks obstructing the movement of ships at Adam's bridge, lying between Rameswaram and Thalaimannar in Sri Lanka, and dig a canal by deepening the area.”

Karunanidhi said what Jayalaithaa was referring to was the Ramar Sethu.

He said the AIADMK chief had claimed credit for getting the project sanctioned by the Centre. “How can one comb hair without applying oil?,” Karunanidhi asked while referring to Jayalalithaa's threat to take legal course to stay the demolition of Ramar Sethu.

The Chief Minister refused to go further into the issue as the matter was being debated in the Parliament and also sub judice.

Earlier, responding to the criticism of the AIADMK's stand on the issue by the DMK's allies, Deputy Leader of Opposition O Panneerselvam said Jayalalithaa was only striving to ensure that ancient structures were preserved and protected. The Government must look at the pros and cons of implementing the project.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?I...hennai&Topic=0&
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