09-13-2007, 02:56 AM
<b>Govt playing with people's faith: Ramdev</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->He is understood to have pointed out that the Government had disputed the historicity of the characters and events figuring in Valmiki's Ramayan and Tulsidas's Ram Charit Manas, even as it admitted that the Archeological Survey of India had not conducted any enquiry into the existence of the Ram Setu.
The move gave a clear indication that the principal opposition party intends to make the Government's deliberate campaign to hurt the sentiments of the majority community a big issue and target the Congress for its unabashed pursuit of vote bank politics.
As BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad was quick to observe the affidavit had been filed by the Union Government's Ministry of Culture, which was under senior Congress leader Ambika Soni.
"So far, we thought opposition to Ram Setu was primarily from the Union Minister for Surface Transport and Shipping TR Balu, who represents the DMK in the ruling alliance," he said.
Interestingly, Balu's Ministry had already filed an affidavit in the apex court in connection with the same case on Monday.
But that affidavit confined itself to stating that there was no scientific evidence proving that Ram Setu was a man-made bridge.
The latest affidavit filed by a Ministry under the charge of Congress leader Ambika Soni went beyond this and challenged the historicity of the characters and events in the entire gamut of the Ram pantheon itself.
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->He is understood to have pointed out that the Government had disputed the historicity of the characters and events figuring in Valmiki's Ramayan and Tulsidas's Ram Charit Manas, even as it admitted that the Archeological Survey of India had not conducted any enquiry into the existence of the Ram Setu.
The move gave a clear indication that the principal opposition party intends to make the Government's deliberate campaign to hurt the sentiments of the majority community a big issue and target the Congress for its unabashed pursuit of vote bank politics.
As BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad was quick to observe the affidavit had been filed by the Union Government's Ministry of Culture, which was under senior Congress leader Ambika Soni.
"So far, we thought opposition to Ram Setu was primarily from the Union Minister for Surface Transport and Shipping TR Balu, who represents the DMK in the ruling alliance," he said.
Interestingly, Balu's Ministry had already filed an affidavit in the apex court in connection with the same case on Monday.
But that affidavit confined itself to stating that there was no scientific evidence proving that Ram Setu was a man-made bridge.
The latest affidavit filed by a Ministry under the charge of Congress leader Ambika Soni went beyond this and challenged the historicity of the characters and events in the entire gamut of the Ram pantheon itself.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->