Tamil Nadu's chief minister M Karunanidhi, who is under attack from the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Sangh Parivar outfits for his views on Lord Ram and the Ram Sethu, has rejected the demand for the withdrawal of his remarks.
"I have not said anything more than Valmiki, who authored Ramayana. Valmiki had even stated that Ram was a drunkard. Have I said so?" he said at the DMK headquarters in Chennai on Thursday.
Karunanidhi even challenged BJP leader L K Advani, who has asked for the withdrawal of his remarks against Lord Ram, to discuss Ramayana with him on the same platform.
"Is Advani ready to discuss Ramayana with me on the same platform after going through Valmiki Ramayana fully?" asked the DMK supremo.
Replying to Advani's query about whether the United Progressive Alliance government was also a part of a conspiracy to stall the Sethusamudram project, Karunanidhi retorted that he had only cautioned the government against falling a prey to the 'conspiracy'.
Asked whether he would accept implementing the project without disturbing the Ram Sethu, he said the intention of the project was not to destroy the Sethu.
"I only want the project to be implemented at the earliest as it would reduce shipping expenses and develop trade. The project has been put on hold for the past one hundred years," he said.
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