Challenging Union Shipping Minister T R Baalu to a debate on the Ram Setu issue, Janata Party president Dr Subramanian Swamy on Tuesday demanded the issue of a White Paper by the Centre on surveys and other matters pertaining to the multi-crore Sethusamudaram Canal Project.
"Let him (Baalu) come out with a white paper on surveys undertaken," Swamy demanded at a press conference in Chennai, and said he would seek details under the Right to Information Act.
Swamy said he would not hesitate to lodge a complaint under the IPC if Baalu continued his constant remarks about Ram Setu 'that it is imaginary.'
The Janata Party chief claimed that even the Earth Science Department had concluded that 'it was not a natural deposit, but had been placed there.'
He said he was ready to enter into a public debate with Baalu on the issue. Swamy also wanted to know why the alternate route-four, which, according to him, was more feasible, was not being considered instead of route-six in which path the monument stood.
Stating that he was going to internationalise the issue, Swamy said the Sri Lankan government had, in reply to his letter, said it would take up the matter soon with India about Ram Setu being a heritage monument of the island nation.
He said he would also be writing to the Chinese president about it being associated with Chinese cultural heritage.
On the recent Uttar Pradesh state Assembly elections, he congratulated UP Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati for teaming up even with upper castes.
"We are moving from caste antagonism to caste harmony," he said.
