Why Delay Declaring Ram Setu as a National Heritage Monument, Asks Swami to PM Modi

Veteran politician and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Dr. Subramanium Swami questioned the Prime Minister of India as to why 'Ram Setu' has not yet been declared as a National Heritage Monument. 

"Why is PM not signing the file to declare Ram Setu as National Monument so that the Setu can be maintained by Union Government? Is anyone worried that I will get the credit or is it Uttarakhand Government type of perverseness in the PMO? I don't need the credit. Lord Ram does," tweeted Subramanium Swamy. 

Ram Setu, also known as Adam's Bridge, is a string of limestone shoals that connects Rameswaram Island to Tamil Nadu's south-eastern coast. The bridge, which is buried in water, is around 100 metres wide and up to 10 metres deep. 

According to the Hindu belief, Ram Setu traces back to the Ramayana era. According to the epic, this bridge was built by the Vanar Sena (Army of Monkeys) led by Lord Ram in an attempt to rescue his wife Sita who was kidnapped by the demon king Ravan. To reach Ravan's kingdom of Lanka, which is the present-day nation-state of Sri Lanka, Lord Ram with the help of the Vanar Sena build the bridge today known as the Ram Setu or Adam's bridge. 

While many regard the narrations in the epics as mythology, there are scores of Hindus who regard it as their civilization's history. 

The Archaeological Survey of India and the UPA government notified the Supreme Court of India in 2007 that there was no real historical evidence of Lord Ram constructing the bridge. 

Swamy also filed a PIL against the contentious Sethusamudram Ship Channel project, which was launched by the UPA-I administration, and the issue was heard by the Supreme Court, which imposed a halt on the project.

After the former United Progressive Alliance (UPA) administration announced the controversial project, several environmentalists and Hindutva organisations voiced strong opposition.

In order to safeguard Ram Setu, the Union government announced in 2017 that it will abandon the original alignment of the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal project.

Swamy has already petitioned the Supreme Court for an expedited hearing on his plea to recognise Ram Setu as an ancient historical monument. The panel, led by CJI Bobde, instructed the Rajya Sabha MP to bring the subject up again in three months and urged the Centre to make its position clear by filing an affidavit. 

The mystery bridge has been the subject of several studies and speculations, but there has yet to be a single agreement on the precise time range when this structure was built. 

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