Lashing out at the UPA government over its decision to go ahead with Sethusamudram Project despite the RK Pachauri Committee report suggesting it is unviable, Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy on Monday said the mega project is illegal, arbitrary and unacceptable.
"The important thing is that the project is not acceptable. It is illegal, arbitrary, unreasonable and extremely expensive," said Swamy, while talking to reporters in New Delhi.
"They (government) also clamed in their affidavit that Rs860 crore have already been spent and therefore we want to go ahead with the project. Well if you have spent Rs860 crore for a project which was illegal, arbitrary and unreasonable, malafide and extraordinarily expensive then according to the Supreme Court judgments, those who cleared the project they are responsible and this amount must be taken out of their wealth," he added.
Swamy further stated that cutting of the Ram Setu (Adam's Bridge) for this project would be a violation of section 295 (malicious of the religious sentiments of the citizen irrespective of any class) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Sethusamudram project was started in 2005 but was suspended following the Supreme Court order and RK Pachauri Committee was constituted to look in to the matter.
The committee has submitted its report on Friday last week, suggesting the entire Sethusamudram project unviable on two fronts, economically as well as ecologically.
However, the government has rejected the Pachauri Committee report and submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court with and intention to pursue the project cutting through the Adam's Bridge, popularly known as Ram Setu.
