Hindu cleric, lawyer up in arms over Lord Rama row

A Hindu cleric in Ayodhya and a Madras High Court lawyer have reacted strongly to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhis questioning of Lord Rams existence.

Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) / New Delhi, Sept. 22 : A Hindu cleric in Ayodhya and a Madras High Court lawyer have reacted strongly to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi's questioning of Lord Ram's existence.

Ramvilasdas Vedanti, former lawmaker and a member of Ayodhya Ramjanmabhoomi Trust, said Karunanidhi had insulted Lord Rama."The one who will bring the head and tongue of the person who has insulted Lord Rama will be rewarded with a bounty by the saints of Ayodhya," Vedanti said.

Karunanidhi's ally and Railways Minister Lalu Prasad, however, tried to play down the controversy.

"We Hindus have faith in all gods and goddesses like Shiva, Rama, Sita and Hanuman. But, we cannot force a person to have faith in them. There are many in the country who do not believe. So, we should not say that someone has said this or that. It is more than enough that we have faith," he said.

R K Venkatesh, an advocate in the Madras High Court, has also filed a complaint against Karunanidhi.

The complaint sought the removal of Karunanidhi from the post of Chief Minister.

Venkatesh contended that Karunanidhi's remarks had wounded his religious feelings.

He accused Karunanidhi of committing offences under Section 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and Section 298 (uttering word etc. with deliberate intent to hurt religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code.

Karunanidhi's statement surfaced amidst a raging row over an affidavit filed by the Central Government in the Supreme Court earlier this month on a Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project, saying that Hinduism's most important texts are not proof of the existence of Hindu gods.

The government later backtracked on the 'affidavit' and sought three months time from the apex court to file an amended affidavit, following threats of nationwide protests by the BJP.

Karunanidhi, however, has asked the Central Government to go ahead with the project coming along the Tamil Nadu coast.

ANI