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        Tamilnadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi doesn't need any new lessons in demagoguery. His now celebrated 50 years as a Legislator has been a saga of spiel-spinning and rhetorics-reeling. The Dravidian patriarch was at it again yesterday, terming those opposed to disturbing the Ramar Sethu, the historically important and sacred link built several centuries ago between India and Sri Lanka as anti-nationals. But the sophistry of Karunanidhi is such that he used the euphemism 'those opposed to the Sethusamudram Canal Project' to sinisterly refer to those fighting for the safeguarding of the Ramar Sethu bridge. This is far from being true. Those who have taken up the cause of Ramar Sethu are, per se not opposed to the Sethusamudram Canal project. But Karunanidhi and his amplifiers, through a Goebbelsian campaign, have made it seem as though. The Ramar Sethu brigade is merely saying that the present route envisaged for the canal will destroy the heritage structure, and hence several of the alternate routes possible for the canal could be used. But the State government and its chief minder is not ready to consider this fair plea. Instead, quite dubiously, in a tone of obvious intimidation, he has branded the bridge-savers as anti-nationals.

        Karunanidhi's deep-seated hatred for anything Hindu is well documented and hence needs no new expatiation. After all, he is the one who infamously said 'Hindus mean thieves'. So his detestation for the Sethu backers, though unacceptable, is only to be expected. But if he his going ahead with Sethu canal project in the present route just to spite Hindu sentiments then it is tragic and also a travesty. For, apart from the heritage angle, there are genuine environmental concerns hanging ominously over. Ironically, Union Shipping Minister T R Baalu, in his reply in Parliament (on 8 May) has confessed that the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (which conducted the Initial Environmental Examination) had pointed out that they were not in favour of the project as it had serious environmental implications with respect to marine park and the biosphere reserve located in the area.

        Karunanidhi and Baalu have time and again parroted that the Sethusamudram canal has been a dream of Tamils for over 150 years. Far from it, if you go to the streets in Tamilnadu, you will find most people being unsure whether the proposed canal as it is starts from Tuticorin or Rameshwaram. So there is no overwhelming emotion running on the street in favour of the project. But there is certainly a groundswell of opinion building in favour of not damaging the Ramar Sethu. The Tamilnadu government built up a case for not slapping the 'skull' symbol on beedis as because a few hundred workers employed in the industry will face some problems. This despite the fact that beedis are obviously injurious to health. But when it comes to the sentiments and beliefs that are dear to several hundreds and thousands of Hindus, the same government will not think twice about mercilessly bulldozing over them. A shipping canal, by definition, should help build bridges across societies and nations. It should bring people together But here a canal is sought to be built destroying a real bridge. Worse, a society is riven because of that. It is verily becoming a channel of hate.