PM himself vetting Ram Setu case papers
S.S. Negi
Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, January 5
Sensing political fall out of the sensitive Sethusamudram issue for the UPA government after burning its fingers earlier by filing a controversial affidavit questioning the existence of Lord Ram, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has himself taken charge of vetting every document to be filed in the Supreme Court.

In view of the BJP’s spectacular victories in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh and the party making good use of the Ram Setu issue in the western state, the Prime Minister is more than keen not to allow the “Sangh Parivar” to take any advantage of it akin to the Ram Temple issue, which the Congress “failed” to handle properly between 1989 and 1992, resulting in the resurgence of BJP and the demolition of Babri Masjid.

Due to certain mistakes made by the Congress government headed by P.V. Narasimha Rao in which Manmohan Singh was finance minister, he this time did not want to give any further opportunity to the BJP and, therefore, has taken charge of the case himself, sources said.

Since a committee of experts set up to reexamine the Rs 2,400 crore project to find out whether it could be realigned and whether the Ram Setu or Adams Bridge was man made or a natural formation, has submitted its report, the government is bogged down in preparing the affidavit for the Supreme Court, which is expected to take up the case later this month.

The report was though submitted to minister of environment and forest T.R. Balu, the Prime Minister is understood to have summoned it to get it examined by the PMO itself to avoid any goofing like the last time.

As additional solicitor general Gopal Subramaniam, who had goofed in filing the earlier affidavit by the ASI on “non-existence” of Lord Ram, the government is negotiating with top lawyers like K. Parasaran, Fali Nariman and Soli Sorabjee to engage them.

The extra caution is being taken by the Prime Minister in view of the BJP making a good use of the Ram Setu issue in the Gujarat elections and expected to take up it in a big way in the Assembly polls due in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Delhi, particularly in the states ruled by it to divert attention from the incumbency factor.

Though the details of the committee report were being kept a closely guarded secret, the sources indicated that it had concluded that the Ram Setu was not a man made structure but was a natural formation. It further had stated that the earlier alignment for the project to link the Palk Straits and the Gulf of Mannar to build a canal, which was to cause breaking of the Ram Setu, was the best route.

After the constitution of the committee, the Centre had sought four months’ time from the court to submit a fresh affidavit while it had filed a two-page brief affidavit to this effect after the ASI’s goofed.

The Supreme Court had stayed digging of the seabed in the area close to the Ram Setu till further order after admitting a bunch of petitions and calling to itself all related cases from the Madras High Court.

Janata Party president Subramaniam Swamy, who is the main petitioner in the case, had even challenged the composition of the committee under Prof S. Ramachandran alleging that his views on the Ram Sethu were well known as he had written several articles denouncing Hindu organisations for claiming it to be a bridge built by Lord Ram’s “Vanar Sena” but the court had refused to intervene.