Short Takes 

Yet another ‘Ayodhya’

The Sangh and its offshoots like VHP have not learnt any lessons from public humiliation only a few weeks ago on the issue of Ram Sethu. The Sangh’s false claim that the natural deposit in the sea between India and Sri Lanka known worldwide as Adam’s Bridge and in India as Ram Sethu was built by an army of monkeys was rejected by Indian scientists as hocus pocus.

The Sangh then claimed that the National Aeronautical and Space Agency (NASA) of the United States had declared that Adam’s Bridge/ Ram Sethu was not a natural formation but man / monkey made. This conclusion, the Sangh said, was drawn by NASA after analysing satellite pictures of the formation.

When the NASA came to learn of this falsehood it categorically said it had never made any such pronouncement. It asserted that the formation had nothing to do with men or monkeys, but was simply a tombolo, the result of natural sedimentation of clay, sandstone and limestone. The Sangh had to cut a sorry figure at the revelation.

To support its false claim the Sangh hired a fraud scientist, "Dr" Puneesh Taneja, who claimed to be an ISRO (Inidan Space Resarch Organisation) official on deputation at the PMO (Prime Minister’s Office). Both the PMO and ISRO denied ever having known anybody called "Dr" Puneesh Taneja. This caused great embarrassment to the Sangh, which quickly disassociated itself from Taneja, who in turn went underground.

The Sangh kept quiet for a wile before relaunching the same old project to oppose the building of a 167 km channel across the Pak Strait between India and Sri Lanka by removing the Ram Sethu / Adam’s Bridge. The RSS, VHP and allied organisations have started making a hue and cry over the issue once again.

The BJP so far is not showing any interest in this "bridge built by Sri Ram and his monkey army" to invade Ravana’s Lanka. The Geological Survey of India has said that it is not man / monkey made, but the result of natural sedimentation of clay, sandstone and limestone.

The Sangh has been trying to convince the BJP to start an Ayodhya-like movement over this issue disregarding the fact that the channel would cut down sailing time between India and Sri Lnaka by 30 hours. The BJP is not so far convinced about the political value of a Ram Sethu movement, but its rebel Uma Bharti, who is already heading a campaign on this issue from her base in Ayodhya, has got the blessings of the Sangh.

The Sangh feels that it can fool all the people all the time in the name of Sri Ram. It is up to the people to decide whether they want to be fooled or not.g