Taking strong exception to the Centre's affidavit on Sethusamudram project, the VHP alleged it was a result of a 'trade-off' between Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi to win the trust vote.The affidavit objects to religious grounds being raked up for blocking the venture, citing a Tamil version of Ramayana, according to which Lord Rama had himself destroyed the 'Ram Setu'."The Centre's affidavit in the Supreme Court is the result of a trade-off between Sonia Gandhi and Karunanidhi as part of which the latter agreed to support the confidence vote sought by Manmohan Singh on the condition that the UPA government will ensure that the Setu is brought down," VHP General Secretary Pravin Togadia told reporters.Declaring that VHP would launch a nation-wide protest against the 'conspiracy' to destroy the Ram Setu, Togadia warned "the Centre's stand before the apex court is fraud with dangerous consequences for the country ... It is a conspiracy to divide the nation, which will go up in flames and Sonia Gandhi will be responsible for it."The VHP leader claimed that on page 729 of the Hindi translation of 'Kamb Ramayana', the Tamil version of the epic, published by Nand Kumar Avasthi of Bhuvan Vani Trust Sitapur, Lucknow, it was said that while returning from Lanka on the 'Pushpak Viman' the Lord pointed at the Setu and said those who would see it would be blessed."How could the same Lord have destroyed the bridge?" he asked.
