Soni gives Sonia 'proof' of innocence

THE RAM SETHU DIVIDE

Tourism and Culture Minister Ambika Soni's troubles over the affidavit on the Ram Sethu project are far from over.

Soni yesterday met Congress President Sonia Gandhi at 10 Janpath and handed over the draft of the affidavit prepared by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) that she had approved with file notations that the controversial reference to Ram be deleted.

The ASI affidavit in the Supreme Court had paragraphs questioning the existence of Ram.

Sources said Gandhi called up Soni when the minister was in Tokyo at the time the affidavit controversy broke out. Soni explained her position and promised that she would submit the papers connected with the affidavit when she returns to Delhi, said sources.

Soni yesterday said she and her officials had made three corrections to the affidavit, of which two were carried out while the third one, the deletion of the controversial paragraphs, was not. "I don't know how this happened. I will have to look into it," she said.

Meanwhile, after ordering the suspension of two senior officials of the ASI on Friday, the culture ministry has sought an explanation from ASI Director-General Anshu Vaish, official sources say.

Vaish has been asked to give her reply to Culture Secretary Badal K Das by Tuesday. The suspended officials are Chandrashekhar, director (administration) and V Bakshi, assistant director (monuments).

Also, knives are out for Soni within the Congress. "If had I been a Cabinet minister, I would have resigned," Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh said in Kolkata yesterday.

Others in the party who are opposed to Soni are also expected to express similar sentiments to the Congress president. Till the crisis blows over, Soni will have to learn to tread carefully.