Karunanidhi told NDTV that ''Ram is as big a lie as Himalayas and Ganges. I merely told the fact, I did not intend to hurt anyone's sentiments. There is no question of withdrawing my statement.''

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK leader M Karunanidhi has made it clear that he will not back down on his views on Ram.

After a high level party meeting, Karunanidhi told NDTV that ''Ram is as big a lie as Himalayas and Ganges. I merely told the fact, I did not intend to hurt anyone's sentiments. There is no question of withdrawing my statement.''

Meanwhile, BJP leader L K Advani said Karunanidhi has hurt the sentiments of the people.

''Ram is a character from a story. I also write novels and that doesn't mean the characters come to life,'' he said.

Karunanidhi's comments were in response to BJP leader L K Advani's demand that he apologise for saying that there is no proof of Ram's existence or that Ram Setu is manmade.

On Wednesday, Karunanidhi had hit out at Ramsevaks and reiterated that Ram is an imaginary character and there is no proof that the Ram Setu was manmade.