Devil quoting scriptures - Sethusamudram Project

As somebody put it pithily mystic texts cannot be held hostage to that bogey man called authenticity.

It was idiocy of the first order for the Government to submit before the Supreme Court that according to Kamb Ramayana, Sethu Samudram Bridge was destroyed by Lord Rama, who according to religious tales or scriptures had built the bridge. The Government further took the stand that since there has been no bridge for thousands of years, there cannot be any objection to Government constructing a bridge now.

Of course, all know that this was done at the behest of the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Earlier Government had made a reasonably good case on non religious grounds why the bridge should be built. Government should have struck to that plank. Taking umbrage from the sayings in Kamb Ramayana is a blunder of the worst order.

Various Scriptures were written eons ego by rishis. There is no way of finding out whether the same are factual or imagination of the rishis. Then again many of the pundits aver that much after the writing of the scripts there have been additions and alternations to the original scripts, not done by the original writers but by others. When that is the position, the present Government has virtually opened up a pandora’s box. Tomorrow on some other matter controversies could rise because of differing versions of what happened in the past eons ego. Who is to decide what is right.

My objection is not on building the bridge. It is also legitimate for followers of various faiths to seek support from scriptures, religious practices and beliefs to support or oppose a proposal. But the Government should scrupulously avoid getting involved in such matters on religious grounds.

Believers of Hindu faith had the plank of Hindu temple being there below the Babri Masjid. Would not their assertion get added support if some age old write up is shown as the basis. Similar claims could be made by various religionists on places of worship. Then what happens.

Many Tamil Scholars ( read Brahmin scholars ) have questioned the authenticity of the verse on the matter in Kamb Ramayana. On the other side Culture Ministry of the Government of India have quoted from works of various archeologists to prove that talk of a bridge was fictional with no historical evidence.

P.S. Rhetorical bashing of Tamil Brahmins is a past time antics of Tamil Nadu politicians ( and their followers ) of DMK for long, especially after Jayalalithaa ( a Brahmin ) becoming a rival politician. That is why DMK Chieftian is putting all sort of pressures on Central Government for going ahead with the project, economic dividends of the same not being significant. Yet another curious fact that I observed was that some of the high and mighty of Tamil Brahmins who are on the main stage ( writers / politicians / theorists ), because of their faith on Lord Rama, have come out with many convoluted arguments, not based on religion, on why the project should be abandoned. Why this hypocrisy. If they wished to support the call for abandoning the project, they should have based their stand on religious faith. What is there to be ashamed about it.