If he were indeed a historical figure, ruling over a minor regional kingdom in Ayodhya, Ram would probably have been relegated to a footnote in a history of the region and forgotten. Ramayana is hardly evidence of a flourishing aircraft industry in the time of Ram. Here it becomes entirely a political question, completely independent of the issues of Ram%u2019s historicity or otherwise. One political party, when in power, sanctions the canal project with great fanfare; out of power it smells an opportunity to get rid of its present doldrums, rattle the government and create a popular wave in its favour. All it needs to do is to stage a few demonstrations and TV channels and newspapers lap them up. The Indian electorate has shown on several occasions that it is not willing to be swayed by issues of this nature. Remember the defeat of the BJP in the Hindi belt in the wake of the demolition of the Babri masjid? If the UPA government has the will to call the sangh parivar's bluff on Ram Setu, it could still go ahead with the project after satisfying the Supreme Court. But the government went down on its knees even as the first few pictures of a few score protestors appeared on the TV screens. It was Indian democracy at its worst.
