DMK leader and Union Minister T R Baalu took a similar stand. “Six alignments were approved by them (NDA). I am only implementing the project,” he said.

RJD leader Devendra Prasad Yadav said the BJP was only trying to exploit religious sentiments. “They did not do anything about Ram when they were in power. Now out of power they are talking about Ram’s setu. Is Krishna not god? In Rajasthan, Krishna’s brajmandal (Kama in Bharatpur district) is being exploded with dynamite for mining but the BJP is not bothered despite our protest. If there was a setu, there should be a scientific investigation, not political drama,” he said.

Earlier, the BJP called the affidavit an “insult to the cultural heritage, civilisational beliefs, and Hindu sentiments.” BJP spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad mounted a spirited assault on the government and wanted to know if the Congress could take a similar stand on any other faith. Prasad said this is a “crude attempt” to insult Hindus, “questioning the very existence of Ram and Sita.”

“Ram and Sita are fictional characters according the Congress. The same people had overturned a judgment of the SC in the Shahbano case to please a particular community,” Prasad said. The BJP spokesperson said the culture ministry, which filed the affidavit, has a Congress minister. “The prime minister is therefore answerable to the country,” he said.

• What’s the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project (SSCP)?

• Dredging 82 million cubic m of the Palk Strait to build a 167-km long channel which will cut sailing time of ships between east and west coasts by 780 km (nearly 30 hours).

... contd.