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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who is a follower of Buddhism, lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week for his alleged indifference towards the religion. In an interview with News 24, he questioned the PM’s faith in Buddhism.
“Buddha is considered as the 9th avatar of Vishnu. He (PM Modi) does not let Buddha come close. In Uttarakhand, there is a law that if someone wants to convert to Buddhism, he needs to go to the district magistrate. Buddhism was established in India, but you (PM Modi) do not believe in it,” Kharge said.
But government sources suggest this is far from the truth. They cite a long list of measures taken by the Prime Minister that show his respect for Buddhism.
The first Global Buddhist Summit was organised by the Modi government in April 2023. “Platforms like IBC (International Buddhist Confederation) are giving the opportunity to like-minded and like-hearted countries to spread Buddha Dhamma and peace,” he said at the event last year.
Government sources also cited the development of Buddhist circuits as another measure. “The Modi government has worked to take the Buddha’s teachings to the people. The Buddhist circuit is one such step. It connects various places connected with the life of Lord Buddha. This also promotes Buddhist tourism,” said an official.
Better connectivity for pilgrims from India and abroad with the development of the Kushinagar International Airport is another instance. PM Modi in 2021 inaugurated the airport in an area where Lord Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana. Kushinagar International Airport is a tribute to the devotion of Buddhist society around the world.
Be it PM Modi laying the foundation stone of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture & Heritage at Lumbini or his efforts to add Vadnagar to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list, the intent has been very clear, said government sources.
In a special gesture, the holy relics of Lord Buddha were taken from India to Mongolia for an exposition. Similarly, the holy relics of Lord Buddha and his two disciples were sent to Thailand for a 26-day exposition. The relics were received with reverence and a grand ceremony in Bangkok.
Financial assistance was given to various Buddhist institutions for the promotion and preservation of Buddhist heritage in India as well as abroad.
Narendra Modi ensured special events like Vesak Purnima, Ashadha Purnima, and Abhidhamma Day were organised to further promote Buddhism, officials said.
Answering Kharge’s political allegations, government sources pointed out how the PM gifted a sapling from the Bodhi Tree at the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya to Nepal. In a special gesture, he also gifted a sapling of the Bal Bodhi tree to Japanese PM Fumio Kishida.
The Buddha Purnima Express special train has also been started by the Modi government to facilitate travel within the Buddhist circuit. The Modi government has rejuvenated pilgrimage centres such as Sarnath and Kushinagar too. The foundation stone of an India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage at Lumbini was also laid in May 2022.
Talking about taking Buddhism to the world, Modi mentioned Buddha in a UN General Assembly speech in September 2019. “We belong to a country that has given the world ‘not Yuddh but ‘Buddh’,” he said. In another instance, he and Khaltmaagiin Battulga, President of Mongolia, jointly unveiled a statue of Lord Buddha and his two disciples, installed at the historic Gandan Tegchenling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar in 2019.
Regardless of Kharge’s charge against the Prime Minister, Modi’s actions speak louder than words, said government sources. No wonder, Buddhist community leaders too have come out and condemned the Congress president’s attempt to use Buddhism for political purposes.
Bhante Sanghpriya Rahul, who is the president of Bhartiya Baudh Sangh, said, “Mallikarjun Kharge’s remark is condemnable. For the first time in 2014, PM Modi celebrated the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha at Talkatora Stadium, which was the first time after Independence that a Prime Minister did this. When he was Gujarat’s chief minister, he had a statue of Buddha inside the assembly and also at the CM’s residence. I want to ask Mallikarjun Kharge, when Manmohan Singh’s government was in power, why did you not pay attention to Buddha, why did you not celebrate Buddha?”
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