Chennai:
Silence can be eloquent. But the Supreme Court, it appears, would have none of it from the Centre over the contentious Sethusamudram Shipping Project. The Additional Solicitor General has been given three weeks to spell out the Centre's stand on declaring the Ram Sethu a national monument. Having inaugurated this pet project of its ally in Tamil Nadu 7 years ago, the UPA is running out of options.
Tamil Nadu is obviously a central player and how! A self-proclaimed atheist and a deeply religious Hindu -- Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa respectively represent the two sides of the debate. Throw in a spirited Subramanian Swamy, who incidentally, is a petitioner before the Supreme Court as well, and the stage is set for fireworks.
When he was in power, the DMK patriarch ruffled quite a few feathers by questioning the existence of Lord Rama; even sarcastically wanting to know which Engineering college he had studied in. No to forget a fast staged in Chennai to drum up support for the mega project, despite the Supreme Court frowning upon political bandhs. The DMK had also been harping on the Sethusamudram project figuring in an earlier manifesto of the AIADMK.
Having sent a delegation to UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and the Prime Minister, seeking their support to overcome the legal hurdles, the DMK has, yet again, revived the debate - of Faith over what it considers 'development.' Karunanidhi wants the project implemented first; "Ram Sethu can be declared a national monument after its completion." But isn't that the problem? Dredging, marine experts opined, would destroy the holy bridge believed to have been built by Lord Ram.
Across the divide, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has written to the Prime Minister (one of her many letters!) demanding that the Ram Sethu be declared a national monument. The Tamil Nadu government has also filed an affidavit in court with this view. Television crews were surprised when Jayalalithaa didn't stop to comment on the issue outside her Poes Garden residence on her return from the assembly this afternoon.
The project involves building a channel across the Palk Strait for ships to sail between the east and west coasts of India without having to circumvent Sri Lanka. Those opposing the project, billed in some quarters as a 'political golden goose', say you can keep the faith and have your development too. The catchphrase stems from suggestions to have alternative routes; as many as five were drawn up.
The legal tangle has given the BJP, which has been at the forefront of the agitation against the project, fresh fodder to attack the UPA.
"There is a paralysis. Executive decisions have been pushed to the courts. Decisions on these matters could have been handled by the Government with trust and consultation" says BJP's Nirmala Sitharaman.
Quite like the Koodankulam Nuclear Plant, the cooperation of the state government in implementing a project is crucial. With Chief Minister Jayalalithaa doing her bit to have the Ram Sethu declared a national monument, the Centre is in a tight spot. Even if it manages to get a judicial green signal, just how will it push it through without having the Tamil Nadu establishment on the same page?