In India, where religion is all-pervasive, it was a comment destined to misfire.
At issue was a US$577 million project to dredge a shipping channel in between India and Sri Lanka -- right through a chain of limestone shoals and sand that Hindus believe was built by the god king Rama.
The plan had already angered Hindu leaders, but things grew far hotter after government archeologists spoke up last week. A report to the Supreme Court by the Archeological Survey of India said the shoals were the result of "several millennia of wave action and sedimentation" and "the issue cannot be viewed solely relying on the contents of mythological text."
Those were fighting words.
To right-wing Hindu groups, the government was dismissing Hinduism's most sacred texts.
L.K. Advani, a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the most powerful Hindu political party, called the government's position "an insult to millions of Hindus all over the world."
Hindu activists marched across the country. They blocked traffic and stopped trains.
On Friday, grappling with the potential political backlash of offending millions of Hindus, the government sheepishly agreed to withdraw the statement by the Archaeological Survey of India.
"Rama is an integral part of the life of the Hindu," Law Minister H.R. Bharadwaj told reporters.
The government has bought time by asking the Supreme Court for three months to reframe its legal position on the channel, and the next hearing on the matter is scheduled for January.
But the decision was a major political blow for the Congress party-led government, and is sure to slow the Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project -- perhaps for years. It has also given enormous political ammunition to the opposition, which is led by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The issue highlights what most political observers have long known about Indian politics -- that the secular political system doesn't mean the state steers clear of religion. Instead, it most often means the government has to walk a fine line: using religion to gain votes, when possible, while studiously avoiding offending any particular faith.
In India, which is 81 percent Hindu, that mostly means making sure Hindu political parties don't get upset.
"It is pure politics," political scientist Mushirul Hasan said of the uproar. "The [Bharatiya Janata Party] is a political party that has blatantly exploited religious issues since its inception."
The Sethusamudram project has been discussed for decades as a way to speed the time it takes ships to travel between India's coasts. Because the shoal-filled waterway is too shallow, ships currently have to sail around Sri Lanka. The channel is expected to reduce the sailing time by more than 30 hours.
The present government finally sanctioned the project in 2005, proposing deepening the 165km-long, 300m-wide waterway, and opening it to ships next year. But last month, amid criticism from Hindu leaders, the Supreme Court stepped in and barred all work until it had heard from both sides.
There has been criticism from other groups, too. Conservationists say the project will destroy marine life and take jobs from Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen. Some scientists worry the dredging could affect the flow of currents and water temperatures.
But it took the Hindu protests to turn the issue into page-one news.
According to Hindu mythology, Rama built the chain of shoals and reefs -- known to most Hindus as Rama Setu, or Rama's Bridge -- with the help of the monkey god Hanuman and his army of helpers. They used it to travel to Sri Lanka to battle the demon king Ravana, who had abducted Rama's wife, Sita.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
RSS