A.Rahman
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Govt says no proof of Rams existence, BJP on boil: 
Thursday September 13, 2007: Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Wednesday stating there was no historical and scientific evidence to establish the existence of Lord Ram or the other characters in Ramayana.
Denying that the Ram Setu or the Adams Bridge is a man-made structure, the ASI said Ramcharitmanas by Tulsidas cannot be read as historical record to prove the existence of characters or the occurrence of the events depicted in it.
The BJP and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) promptly reacted angrily to the ASI affidavit, which was in response to three petitions that got transferred from Madras high court to Supreme Court challenging governments decision to construct the Sethusamudram Canal by dredging a portion of the Setu.
Leader of Opposition LK Advani sought to speak Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the BJP angrily condemned the governments stand. BJPs Ravi Shankar Prasad said, It is a crude attempt to insult our culture, civilisational heritage and Hindu sentiments, and is a case of practice of appeasement politics. Advani spoke later to PMs media adviser, Sanjaya Baru, to convey his anguish.
All the three petitions had relied upon Ramcharitmanas to claim the bridge has historical importance and, therefore, should be declared an ancient protected monument. The Supreme Court had on August 31 restrained the Centre from damaging Ram Setu while permitting the government to continue with dredging. A bench headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan is due to hear the petitions on September 14.
C Dorjee, director (monument), ASI, stated in the affidavit that: ASI is a Science and Technology department. The issue has to be approached and examined in a scientific manner. While due deference may be given to the feelings of the petitioners, the issue cannot be viewed solely relying upon the contents of a mythological text.
According to the ASI, the bridge is a natural formation made up of shoals and sand bars. They are of a particular shape and have formed due to several millennia of wave action and sedimentation, read the ASI affidavit. The department has referred to two different surveys conducted by Geological Survey of India, that took place after NASA released satellite images of the Adams bridge, and claimed that the Setu is 1.25 lakh years Before Present (BP) old. BP is a timescale now commonly used in place of BC and AD in scientific discipline.
Dorjee further added that the petitioners have misread and misinterpreted the images released by NASA on the Adams bridge. NASA has clarified that images of the area were being captured for several years and no scientific discovery has been made so far in respect of the origins of the formation known as Adams bridge, he said.
The BJP spokesperson said, So far, we thought it is the solo play of Transport Minister T R Baalu who wants to demolish the Ram Setu. But it is clear that the government is behind the conspiracy to denigrate the Hindu beliefs and facts. The PM must explain the move to question the existence of Ramayana. We are not against the Sethusamudram project, but we want a realignment to protect the Ram Setu.
He said, If the ASI has made no study, how can the government can conclude that there is no historical basis for a structure that is a matter of faith?
Threatening to intensify the agitation, VHP leader Pravin Togadia said, The government are diverting to the peoples attention but making such claim. If it continues like this and refuses to give up the Sethusamudram project, the UPA will suffer losses in the polls in Gujarat and other states and in the event of a mid-term Lok Sabha polls. By hurting the Hindu sentiments, no party can win polls in the states or at the Centre.
HT
Thursday September 13, 2007: Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Wednesday stating there was no historical and scientific evidence to establish the existence of Lord Ram or the other characters in Ramayana.
Denying that the Ram Setu or the Adams Bridge is a man-made structure, the ASI said Ramcharitmanas by Tulsidas cannot be read as historical record to prove the existence of characters or the occurrence of the events depicted in it.
The BJP and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) promptly reacted angrily to the ASI affidavit, which was in response to three petitions that got transferred from Madras high court to Supreme Court challenging governments decision to construct the Sethusamudram Canal by dredging a portion of the Setu.
Leader of Opposition LK Advani sought to speak Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the BJP angrily condemned the governments stand. BJPs Ravi Shankar Prasad said, It is a crude attempt to insult our culture, civilisational heritage and Hindu sentiments, and is a case of practice of appeasement politics. Advani spoke later to PMs media adviser, Sanjaya Baru, to convey his anguish.
All the three petitions had relied upon Ramcharitmanas to claim the bridge has historical importance and, therefore, should be declared an ancient protected monument. The Supreme Court had on August 31 restrained the Centre from damaging Ram Setu while permitting the government to continue with dredging. A bench headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan is due to hear the petitions on September 14.
C Dorjee, director (monument), ASI, stated in the affidavit that: ASI is a Science and Technology department. The issue has to be approached and examined in a scientific manner. While due deference may be given to the feelings of the petitioners, the issue cannot be viewed solely relying upon the contents of a mythological text.
According to the ASI, the bridge is a natural formation made up of shoals and sand bars. They are of a particular shape and have formed due to several millennia of wave action and sedimentation, read the ASI affidavit. The department has referred to two different surveys conducted by Geological Survey of India, that took place after NASA released satellite images of the Adams bridge, and claimed that the Setu is 1.25 lakh years Before Present (BP) old. BP is a timescale now commonly used in place of BC and AD in scientific discipline.
Dorjee further added that the petitioners have misread and misinterpreted the images released by NASA on the Adams bridge. NASA has clarified that images of the area were being captured for several years and no scientific discovery has been made so far in respect of the origins of the formation known as Adams bridge, he said.
The BJP spokesperson said, So far, we thought it is the solo play of Transport Minister T R Baalu who wants to demolish the Ram Setu. But it is clear that the government is behind the conspiracy to denigrate the Hindu beliefs and facts.
The PM must explain the move to question the existence of Ramayana. We are not against the Sethusamudram project, but we want a realignment to protect the Ram Setu.He said, If the ASI has made no study, how can the government can conclude that there is no historical basis for a structure that is a matter of faith?
Threatening to intensify the agitation, VHP leader Pravin Togadia said, The government are diverting to the peoples attention but making such claim. If it continues like this and refuses to give up the Sethusamudram project, the UPA will suffer losses in the polls in Gujarat and other states and in the event of a mid-term Lok Sabha polls. By hurting the Hindu sentiments, no party can win polls in the states or at the Centre.
HT
