Bihar Chief Minister refuses to budge over Buddha's relics

PTI, June 25, 2007

PATNA, India -- Charging Union Minister and RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh with "playing politics" over shifting relics of Lord Buddha to his parliamentary constituency Vaishali, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday asserted he will not "buckle under pressure."

"Bihar government, particularly I, cannot be pressured into taking a decision that suits a person and his political ambitions," Kumar said, adding his government had never come out with a statement saying that the relics would not be transferred to Vaishali.

"Everybody knows that I am not a person who will buckle under pressure - the proposal is under active consideration of the government and a judicious decision will be taken at an appropriate time," Kumar said and asked Singh to desist from "playing politics" over the issue.

"What was he (Singh) doing during all those 15 years when RJD was in power? It did not occur to him then that the rightful place for the relics is Vaishali," he said, adding the minister's intensified campaign for shifting the urn containing the ashes of Buddha was with an eye on the approaching Lok Sabha elections.

Singh, the Union Rural Development Minister, had recently approached NDA Chairman Atal Bihari Vajpayee and alliance convenor George Fernandes, who wrote to Kumar requesting him to consider the demand for shifting the relics to Vaishali where it was discovered during excavation in 1958.

The Buddhist Channel - Donate to Support Our Work



An Appeal

In deep gratitude for your support! We are half way to meeting our target (US$ 10,400 of US$ 18,000 already achieved)!

The Buddhist Channel is a dedicated group of "mindful communication practitioners" striving to make a positive impact on the Buddhist community. We deeply believe in the power of mindful journalism and are reaching out to you with a heartfelt request for your support. Your donation, no matter the size, can make a tangible difference in the lives of countless Buddhist monastics, local communities and other dedicated engaged workers. With your help, we make their stories known, and thereby opening up avenues for them to obtain sustainable support for their work.

Please indicate whether your support will be a donation or a loan. We will get back to you via email. We thank you in advance for providing us financial relieve. May the Buddha Dharma ever be your guide and protector.

Note: To date, we have received the following:

US$ 900 from Esa Myllykoski (donation)
US$ 9,500 from Lance Edwards/Kau Soo Kin (loan)

We express our deep gratitude for the support and generosity.

If you have any enquiries, please write to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv

TOP