Reigniting the Ram Sethu controversy, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has questioned the existence of Lord Ram, triggering an angry reaction from BJP which said the comment constituted an “offence”.

“Ram is a figment of a poet’s imagination and Ram Sethu is a natural formation under the sea,” Bhattacharjee told a meeting to mark the 15th anniversary of the demolition of Babri Masjid on Thursday. He said the Sethusamudram project was being opposed by the Sangh Parivar on religious grounds, but it was vital for economic development of the region.

Reacting to the comments, BJP leader L K Advani said the comments were “highly objectionable” not only politically, but also under the law, as it was an offence to hurt the religious sentiments of any community and in this case it was the majority community. Sushma Swaraj said Ram was a matter of faith in India. “Ram is the soul of India and no Indian irrespective of religion can question his existence,” she said.

Taking on his West Bengal counterpart, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said: “A partner of the UPA Government in Tamil Nadu insulted Ram and now another partner in West Bengal has said that Ram was not born and is a figment of imagination of some poet. The Delhi Government should respond on this irresponsible statement of its partner. What does Soniaben wants to do on this?” Modi said at a public meet in Sevalia village near Balasinore.