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Govt to withdraw offending remarks on Lord Ram

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Agencies

Posted online: Thursday , September 13, 2007 at 12:00:00


New Delhi, Spetember 13: Facing a saffron onslaught, government on Thursday decided to withdraw the "objectionable" paragraphs of the affidavit filed in the Supreme Court questioning the existence of Lord Rama or other characters in the epic Ramayana.

After a quick intervention by Congress President Sonia Gandhi in a damage-control exercise, Law Minister H R Bhardwaj announced at a hurriedly-called press conference that the averments in the objectionable paragraphs will be withdrawn.

"We are filing a supplementary affidavit on Friday in the Supreme Court," he said, a day after the Archaeological Survey of India told the apex court that there was no historical and scientific evidence to establish the existence of Lord Rama or the other characters in Ramayana.

The affidavit came under immediate attack from the Sangh Parivar, including the BJP which called it "blasphemous". Senior BJP leader L K Advani met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and also Bhardwaj at a dinner meeting on Wednesday night and had told them "the highly objectionable affidavit be withdrawn."

Highly placed sources said Gandhi directed the government to take "immediate remedial steps" to set right the situation.

Lord Rama is an integral part of Indian culture and ethos and cannot be a matter of debate, Bhardwaj said.

Asked what clarification did the government planned to make, the minister said "this is in regard to our averment in the affidavit that there is no evidence that these characters of our scriptures did exist."

"This is a wrong impression," Bhardwaj said referring to the media reports on the affidavit.

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Ashamed of this government by Capt. Vivek Jain on 13 Sep 2007

No country in the world can technologically prove the existence of God. Its a faith and to blatantly say it is fictious character has hurt us so much. My family is crying in Uk as most newspaper courtsey Reuters and other newspaper as usual look forward to such self -degrading news from India. I am proud Indian but not proud of this communists in India who will say bad things about India. The worst thing is that they are in power in India. The harm they are doing to India is immense. But as the saying goes nothing lasts forever. Ram has survived the faith of millions for centuries and will survive this government as well

Lord Ram's Bridge to Lanka. by H J Tavaria on 13 Sep 2007

Mrs SG has a long memory.She knows that the Ram Mandir and Bofors were the 2 issues that had wrecked her husband's Primeministership.Advisable to nip the problem in the bud rather than give 'secular bhashans' and pay an electoral price! Sensibly, she has deleted an emotive issue.

Ram Sethu by roti on 13 Sep 2007

Come elections, The Congress that wants to monopolize Mahatma Gandhiji whose last words were ' Hey Ram '; now states on oath to the highest court of the country thtat 'Ram' did not exist!The Congress and Sonia Gandhi has stooped to such a low level that is unimaginable !Will they ever say that Mohmmad did not exist or that Jesus did not exist ?

Govt to withdraw offending remarks on Lord Ram by Kumar on 13 Sep 2007

Not a new thing all these years they were playing behind the curtain, at last now its stater to come out on screen and some political imaging bulding by Mrs.Ghandi, the congress govt and its allaies specialy the once in red

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