Govt objects to Indian minister's view on Buddha

India corrects Jaishankar 

 Kathmandu, Aug 9

The government has expressed objections to the Indian External Minister S. Jaisankar's statement that the Buddha was an Indian.

"It is true that Buddhism spread from Nepal to other parts of the world in the subsequent period. The matter remains beyond doubt and controversy and thus cannot be a subject of debate," said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement on Sunday.

It said that the entire international community knew Gautam Buddha was born in Nepal.

The statement cited Indian PM Narendra Modi's statement, made at the Parliament of Nepal during his visit in 2014, "Nepal is the country where apostle of peace in the world, Buddha, was born."

Responding to the media queries seeking the government's comment on Jaishankar's statement, MoFA said that it was a well-established and undeniable fact that the Buddha was born in Lumbini, Nepal.

Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha and the fountain of Buddhism, is one of the UNESCO Heritage Sites.

Meanwhile, Indian Ministry of External Affairs corrected Jaishankar's version by publishing a statement on Sunday evening.

"External Affairs Minister's remarks yesterday at the CII (Confederation of Indian Industries) event referred to our shared Buddhist heritage. There is no doubt that Gautam Buddha was born in Lumbini, which is in Nepal," read the statement issued by Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava.

Jaishankar, during a virtual event on Saturday, had claimed that Buddha was Indian. His statement had drawn widespread criticism from the political leaders, diplomats, civil society and media in Nepal.

Likewise, the main opposition party Nepali Congress has also objected to Jaishankar's claim over the birth place of Lord Buddha.

Denying the Indian Minister's comment that Buddha's birth place was in India, NC spokesperson Bishwa Prakash Sharma said that the party’s serious attention was drawn to the Indian Minister’s Statement, which is against the archaeological evidences found in Nepal. The land where the Buddha was born is in Nepal.

"Nothing will be tolerable to us that hurts Nepal and Nepali's sensitivity by serving impulsion in response to impulsion. Such baseless claim is not in the interest of either country," NC spokesperson Sharma tweeted.

 He said that Nepal does not need registration certificate from anywhere to prove that the Buddha was born in Nepal.

Sharma said the objectionable comment was unfortunate, and recalled that Indian Prime                                                                                                       Minister Narendra Modi had already clarified about the birth place of Buddha while addressing Nepal's parliament in 2014, dismissing the previous statements of the Indian side.

He said making statements by ignoring mutual sensitiveness of both the countries over the birth place of Ram and Buddha would leave deep wounds and it could not build relations for long-term interest and main issues could be diverted.

 

Similarly, former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal expressed objection to Jaishankar's statement. "I would like to draw attention that though it was a proven from the historical facts, evidences and archaeological studies that Gautam Buddha was born in Nepal, insensitive and misleading statements time and again from the Indian leaders would have counterproductive impact on the bilateral relations between the two countries," he said in a tweet.

Urging the government of Nepal to formally talk to the Indian government regarding the issue, he said it was unfortunate to have such statement from a responsible government representative.

Former Foreign Secretary Madhu Raman Acharya said that if the enlightenment and preaching in India would satisfy the claim that the Buddha was Indian, then many sages that India claims as its own would be Nepali.

"If the enlightenment and preaching in India is to be used to claim that the Buddha was an Indian, then most of the rishimunis (sages) like Vyas, Valmiki and Patanjali who India claims to be their own are Nepalis because they mediated, wrote treatises and achieved moksha in Nepal," he said.

Likewise, Former Chief Secretary and diplomat Leela Mani Paudyal said, "Gautam Buddha is Nepali by birth, who was born in Lumbini and Buddhism is common heritage of humanity. Claim alone does not change the status of the greatest thinker and teacher of life and world in past 3000 years of time."

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 10 August 2020.