Interestingly, despite a court stay on dredging four weeks ago, the official website of the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project (SSCP) continues to post details of the current operations, indicating that the dredging is in progress in the Palk Strait and in the area north of Adam’s Bridge. Details of the project status and the quantity dredged have been clearly tabulated until September 13, 2007.

Union Shipping Minister T R Baalu, the protagonist of the Rs 2,427-crore SSCP, who pushed the project through and ensured its formal launch on July 1, 2005, sounded upset when contacted. “I do not wish to comment on the project when it is before the court,” he said. On whether the project was likely to be shelved, he said: “That is up to the court now.”

Hailed by politicians as a project that would usher in development in Tamil Nadu, the SSCP was the mascot for the DMK and other political parties in the state, both for the Lok Sabha election and the May 2006 Assembly election. While the DMK had promised voters that it would ensure that the project would be launched if it had a say in the Centre in the Lok Sabha election, in the state election last year, the party gloated the SSCP achievement as its own.

“Obviously, the election fever has started and the Congress has thought it best to convince those advocating Ram Sethu on the feasibility of the project rather than provoke them. But all this is only going to delay the project and push the deadline for its completion further,” pointed out a peeved Union Minister from the DMK, who did not wish to be named.

Chief Minister M Karunanidhi has chosen to remain silent though the Government’s decision to withdraw its two affidavits in the Supreme Court had been conveyed to him. Busy inaugurating development projects in the districts, Karunanidhi is yet to react on the SSCP.

“This is the time the CM has to be careful. No one can prevent Sethusamudram project from happening. So it is better that our leader treads cautiously,” said a senior DMK leader in Tamil Nadu.

Lashing out against the BJP for opposing the project now, DMK seniors pointed out how the SSCP had received the green signal during the NDA regime. “It is a planned and planted effort to spoil growth and development in the south. They can’t believe that this kind of project could make such progress,” said a senior leader.

While AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa had raised strident protests on the grounds that the livelihood of fishermen in the region would be affected besides the project affecting the sensitive marine bio-park, she did a sudden volte face on Wednesday, choosing to toe the BJP’s line. She has demanded that the Centre examine alternative alignments and save the Ram Sethu as a “monument”.

Her ally and MDMK chief Vaiko has been rather quiet on the issue. Vaiko has been a strong proponent of the project and had criticised the DMK strongly during the Assembly election campaign for taking sole credit for getting it implemented.

Allyspeak

RJD: Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Thursday accused the BJP of exploiting the Sethusamudram project and asserted that Ram Sethu did not exist. “Lord Ram did exist but there is no Sethu. A lot of things happen naturally,” Yadav said. “The BJP is just making an issue out of the whole thing,” he said.

CPI(M): Party Politburo member Sitaram Yechury said: “It is improper to interfere in the religious affairs of any community as the Constitution provides protection to all religions in the country.” Meanwhile, appreciating the Government’s decision to withdraw certain paragraphs in the affidavit filed by the Archaeological Survey of India in the Sethusamudram case, the CPI(M) Politburo flayed the BJP for what it called “bankrupt communal politics”. “The Government of India has taken an appropriate decision to withdraw certain paragraphs in the affidavit filed by the ASI in the Supreme Court that were considered extraneous to the matter at hand,” it said in a statement.