Govt to withdraw affidavit on Lord Ram

In what can only be considered a face-saving measure, an embarrassed government has decided to withdraw the objectionable paragraphs in the affidavit filed by it on the Sethusamudram project, which denied the existence of Lord Rama. The government fears the issue could snowball into a controversy and revive elements of the Ramjanmabhoomi movement.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi had to directly intervene in a situation which could have become politically explosive, calling up Congress seniors Janardhan Dwivedi and Ahmad Patel, and law minister H R Bharadwaj.