Karunanidhi refuses to withdraw remarks

The DMK patriarch says, "I have not said anything more than Valmiki, who authored Ramayana."

DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, who is under attack from the BJP and Sangh Parivar outfits for his remarks against Lord Ram and Ram Setu, on Thursday, rejected the demand for withdrawal of his remarks.

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"I have not said anything more than Valmiki, who authored

Ramayana

," he said while replying to questions from reporters at the DMK headquarters in Chennai.

He challenged BJP leader LK Advani, who asked for the withdrawal of his remarks against Lord Ram, to discuss

Ramayana

with him in the same platform.

"Is Advani ready to discuss

Ramayana

with me in the same platform after going through

Valmiki Ramayana

fully?" he asked.

Asked whether he would accept implementing the project without disturbing Ram Setu, he said the intention of the project was not to destroy the Ram Setu.

"I only want the project to be implemented at the earliest as it would reduce the shipping expenses and develop trade. The project has been put on hold for the past one hundred years," he said.