Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya yesterday.
IANS/Patna
Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday announced that Bodh Gaya, which is considered the birthplace of Buddhism, would be developed as a spiritual capital of the Buddhist world.
“We want to develop Bodh Gaya as a spiritual capital of the Buddhist world,” Modi said in his address at the concluding ceremony of a three-day international Buddhist conclave at Bodh Gaya, about 110km from Bihar’s capital Patna.
“We are meeting in Bodh Gaya, a land that has distinctive place in the history of mankind,” the prime minister said.
Modi said he was happy and blessed to visit Bodh Gaya. “I have the honour of visiting Bodh Gaya after Pandit Nehru and Atal ji.”
He said Buddha gave to the world a complete system of morality; he was a great teacher of equality.
“I would personally call India ‘Buddhist India’,” Modi said adding Hinduism after Buddha’s advent became Hindu Buddhism or Buddhist Hinduism.
“I consider this Hindu Buddhist conference on conflict avoidance and environmental consciousness an important event. I also echo PM Shinzo Abe of Japan who the other day highlighted the importance of tolerance. When radical elements try to force their ideologies on others then issues of conflict arise,” Modi said.
Earlier, soon after arriving at Gaya airport, Modi went straight to the 1,500-year-old Mahabodhi temple, where he offered prayers, Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee secretary N Dorjee said.
After offering prayers, Modi circumambulated the Mahabodhi tree under which Lord Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment 2,550 years ago.
Modi was received by Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind and Food Minister Shyam Razak at Gaya airport.
Bodh Gaya had been turned into a fortress and a 16-member Special Protection Group (SPG) team was monitoring the security arrangements.
Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar did not meet Modi during his visit as he had other engagements, a ruling Janata Dal (United) spokesman said.
Besides, the PMO (prime minister’s office) did not consult the state government before finalising the schedule, Neeraj Kumar said.
Bihar minister Shayam Razak received Modi in the Buddhist holy city as the state government representative, as the chief minister was busy with other engagements in Patna, the spokesman said.
“The PMO did not consult the state government, and the chief minister has as usual a number of engagements. So he sent a minister to receive Modi, there is nothing into it,” Neeraj Kumar said.
An official in the chief minister’s office said that protocol did not require the chief minister to receive Modi in Bodh Gaya or attend a programme or see him off.
A political analyst said Modi’s ‘DNA’ remark against Nitish Kumar at a Bharatiya Janata Party rally in Muzaffarpur on July 25, followed by other comments in three more rallies in Gaya, Saharsa and Bhagalpur, forced the chief minister to boycott him.
“Though Nitish Kumar received Modi at the Patna airport on August 18, he did not accompany him to Ara town in Bhajpur district where Modi announced the Rs1.25 lakh crore special package for Bihar. After that, both leaders have been engaged in a war of words and missing no chance to target each other ahead of the assembly election,” political observer Satyanarain Madan said.
