Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati talks to Organiser representative Debasis Tripathy about his mission to save Ram Sethu and about all his hopes and determination in an interview at Puri, Orissa. Excerpts.
You are wandering over the country for protection of Ram Sethu and organising Hindus. Kindly sketch your views on the issue.
It is a dishonest and offensive plan of the union government to destroy this great cultural monument, which is the exclusive property of Hindus of Bharat. Continuous efforts are going on to destroy the Sethu. We have visited the spot and found that near Dhanushkoti, some fishermen are residing in that area who are very innocent and simple in nature. They do not know anything about this destruction. Many sophisticated machines are engaged in this task and even experts cannot tell what is really going on. We have information that some portions have already been destroyed. Coming under the pressure of America and being guided by some foreign forces the UPA government is about to wipe out it by explosives.
You are saying that America is keen for the destruction of Ram Sethu. Why?
NASA is the agency of America which confirmed the existence of Ram Sethu. People could walk over the Ram Sethu in the ancient time. Later it submerged in the sea water in a natural process. Now it exists beneath six metre depth. NASA proved that its length is 30 km and breadth 2.5 km. Such an ancient Sethu is with the Hindus who were able to build this exceptational bridge, America cannot tolerate this. How would he? Besides this near the Sethu there is an unlimited reserve of thorium. The USA never wants that India should emerge as a great nuclear power using this thorium. Hence America wants to exploit this by destroying Ram Sethu and make India subservient to him. On the other hand our men in power have opened the door to them. Insatiable longing for power has made them blind.
What do you say about Sonia Gandhi'srole?
Sonia Gandhi had visited Rameswaram and attended the inauguration ceremony of Sethusamudram Canal Project with Dr. Manmohan Singh, T.R Balu and M. Karunanidhi. They chalked out a plan to destroy the Sethu. Sonia is an outsider but we are astonished that how these leaders dared to go against our own dharma and heritage? It is a great fraud with the people of this nation. We want to inform the Hindus through you that this drive is being controlled from Vatican city and the government is dancing on the tune of the Pope. He wants to destroy all Hindu heritages from the soil of Bharat. The late Pope John Paul had visited India twice. On both the occasions he said: ?We want to make Asia a Christian subcontinent and our mission begins from India.?
Now the Pope does not wish to see Bharat as a vishwaguru and hence he wants to finish the spirit of our nationhood by hook or by crook. His ambitions met with success in Nepal with the help of Maoists. Then how will the Pope tolerate the existence of Ram Sethu and construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya? Sonia has become his agent. Christians and Communists have managed to tie their knot with each other.
Why did you start your protest late? Was there any hidden dialogue with the government?
No. Nothing hidden nor was there any talk with the government. The truth is, we came to know about this late during last Ardha Kumbha Mela at Prayag on January 21, 2006. From that day we are working our best. We never knock at the door of any political man. Yes, we had gone to meet Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, not as the President of India but as a lover of our rich heritage. We told him about the Sethu. Showing a lot of sympathy he supported our views, but his hands were tied then. He could not help us.
What is your next agenda?
We are really happy that this issue of Ram Sethu has been able to break the slumber of the Hindu society. Some Hindus have awakened and have come to the warpath for protection of their religious sentiment. But we are really shocked that some Hindu seers like Asharam Bapu, Murari Bapu and others are maintaining silence. When our nation and dharma are facing a threat, all should come forward with their followers. We have decided to go to Rameswaram and will fight for the protection of the holy Sethu. Even if nobody comes with us, we will definitely go there. My life may go but my steps will never go back.
