Dr Ambedkar Chair to come up at Lumbini Buddhist University
New Delhi
A number of MoUs and agreements have been inked at the end of bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepal counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba.
Some of the pacts include a Memorandum of Understanding between Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Lumbini Buddhist University on the establishment of Dr. Ambedkar Chair for Buddhist Studies, an MEA source said.
Others are such as the Memorandum of Understanding between Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and CNAS, Tribhuvan University on the establishment of ICCR Chair of Indian Studies; the Memorandum of Understanding between Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Kathmandu University (KU) on the establishment of the ICCR Chair of Indian Studies; MoU between Kathmandu University (KU), Nepal and Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M), the Letter of Agreement (LoA) between Kathmandu University (KU), Nepal and Indian Institute of Technology (IITM), India for Joint degree program at Master’s level.
Besides these an Agreement was inked between SJVN Ltd and Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) for
the Development and implementation of Arun 4 Project, the MEA said.
In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister shared his views on the unique visit to Nepal especially
at Lumbini on the occasion of Buddha Jayanti.
"I feel blessed to have prayed at the Maya Devi Temple on Buddha Purnima. May Lord Buddha bless us
all and make our planet peaceful and prosperous," Mr Modi wrote on Twitter.
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New Delhi
The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), which led the 13-month-long farmers’ protest against three farm lawson Sunday split and a new group BKU (Apolitical) has been floated.
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| snap: Manipur: Ninglun Hanghal |
Rajesh Singh Chauhan is the leader of the new rebel group. The new outfit was launchedin Lucknow on Sunday, May 15, on the death anniversary of BKU founder Chaudhary Mahendra Singh Tikait.
The leaders of BKU (Apolitical) alleged that they were upset with the “political” statements made by BKU spokesperson Rakesh Tikait during the farm law protests and also the recent Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.
Harinam Singh, who will head the UP chapter of the new BKU (Apolitical), says“The new outfit has been formed because of the disagreements with BKU… Mahendra Singh Tikait was of the view that when we go to the government with 10 demands and even if four of them are accepted, the agitation should be withdrawn. But what is the situation today?"
He said the agitation against the Modi government's three farm laws continued for 13 months "But some people are not yet satisfied. It is a big issue,” he said.
The BKU as northern India's premier farmers' body was founded in 1986 by the Late Mahendra Singh Tikait.
After his death in 2011, his sons – Naresh Tikait and Rakesh Tikait – managed the group.
While Naresh is the BKU president, Rakesh speaking mostly as the outfit’s spokesperson during the 13-month long agitation had emerged as the face of the farmers’ movement.
Rakesh Tikait has always been political.
In the 2014 general elections, he fought on a Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) ticket from Amroha Lok Sabha constituency and lost.
In fact, Rakesh Tikait had finished fourth after BJP's Kanwar Singh Tanwar who polled 5,28,880 that is about 48 percent of votes, and also after Samawadi and BSP candidates.
As RLD nominee Rakesh Tikait had polled merely 9,539 votes accounting for only 0.87 percent.
Tikait also had contested the 2007 UP Assembly elections from the Khatauli seat as a candidate of the Bahujan Kisan Dal (BKD) party (with Congress support), and had finished a distant sixth.
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PM Modi arrives Lumbini in Nepal on one-day crucial visit
New Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Lumbini, Nepal on Monday morning on an official visit.
His visit coincides with the auspicious occasion of Buddha Jayanti.
On arrival at Lumbini, the Prime Minister was warmly received by his Nepal counterpart Sher Bahadur
Deuba, his spouse Dr Arzu Rana Deuba, and several Ministers from the Government of Nepal.
As Prime Minister, this is Mr Modi's fifth visit to Nepal and first to Lumbini.
Mr Modi has described India's ties with Nepal as unparalleled.
"I look forward to offering prayers at the Mayadevi Temple on the auspicious occasion of Buddha Jayanti.
I am honoured to follow in the footsteps of millions of Indians to pay reverence at the sacred site of
Lord Buddha's birth," he said on Sunday in a statement.
"I also look forward to meeting Prime Minister Deuba again after our productive discussions during his visit to India last month. We will continue to build on our shared understanding to expand cooperation in multiple areas, including in hydropower, development and connectivity," the PM said.
Apart from visiting the holy Mayadevi Temple, Mr Modi will be also participating in the "Shilanyas”
ceremony of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture & Heritage in the Lumbini Monastic Zone.
The Prime Minister will also attend celebrations to mark the occasion of Buddha Jayanti organised by the Government of Nepal.
Observers say, India's Buddhist symbolism and more so at the level of the Prime Minister also brings to
focus the perceived 'atheist China’s Buddhist card' in the game of geopolitics and geostrategic.
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PM Modi, Deuba grace Shilanyaas of India International Centre for Buddhist Culture in Lumbini
Nirendra Dev
New Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with his Nepal counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba, performed the
Shilanyaas ceremony for construction of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage
in the Lumbini Monastic Zone, Lumbini, Nepal.
The Centre will be constructed by the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), New Delhi, on a plot
allocated to IBC by the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT), under an agreement between IBC and
LDT signed in March 2022.
After the shilanyaas ceremony, which was performed by monks belonging to three major Buddhist traditions,
Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana, the two Prime Ministers also unveiled a model of the Centre.
Once completed, the Centre will be a world-class facility welcoming pilgrims and tourists from all over
the world to enjoy the essence of spiritual aspects of Buddhism.
It will be a modern building, NetZero compliant in terms of energy, water and waste handling, the MEA said.
It will house prayer halls, meditation centers, library, exhibition hall, cafeteria, offices and other amenities.
Prime Minister Modi is on a one-day visit to Lumbini, Nepal on Monday, on the occasion of Buddha Jayanti.
He is on the visit of the Himalayan nation at the invitation of his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba.
This is Modi's fist Nepal visit since 2014.
Observers say, India's Buddhist symbolism and more so at the level of the Prime Minister also brings to
focus the perceived 'atheist China’s Buddhist card' in the game of geopolitics.
Lumbini is the holy place where according to Buddhist tradition, Queen Mahamayadevi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama at around 623 B.C.
In a special briefing, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said last week that the discussions between Prime Minister
Modi and Sher Bahadur Deuba during Mr Modi's visit will dwell on all aspects of bilateral ties.
The scope of India-Nepal ties is wide, the Foreign Secretary has said.
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Buddha - a symbol of humanity; 'India-Nepal friendship' to benefit all: PM Modi
New Delhi
During his day-long engagements in Nepal and especially on the auspicious occasion of Buddha Jayanti,Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that India and Nepal relations are unshakeable like the Himalayas.
"Buddha is the embodiment of the collective understanding of humanity," Modi told the gathering of some 2,500 people that included monks, Buddhist scholars and international participants in Lumbini.
He also said, "India and Nepal's ever-strengthening friendship and our closeness will benefit the entire humanity in the kind of global conditions that are emerging".
Mr Modi, who attended the 2566th Buddha Jayanti Celebration at International Convention Center and Meditation Hall at Lumbini, was accompanied by his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deubaand his spouse Dr Arzu Rana Deuba.
India and Nepal relations are unshakeable like the Himalayas and both the countries will work towards solving global problems with Buddha's ideologies, he said.
"From Sarnath, Bodh Gaya and Kushinagar in India to Lumbini in Nepal, this holy place is a symbol of our common heritage and shared values. We have to develop this heritage together and enrich it further," the Prime Minister said.
Mr Modi said the energy of the place where Lord Buddha was born, gives him a different feeling.
"I was happy to see that the Mahabodhi sapling I had gifted in 2014 for this place, is now growing into a tree".
He further said - "We have to develop this heritage together and enrich it further".
India's Buddhist symbolism and more so at the level of the Prime Minister also brings to
focus the perceived 'atheist China’s Buddhist card' in the game of geopolitics.
MEA spokesman Arindam Bagchi says the visit is an “opportunity to strengthen ongoing cooperation and develop new areas in our multifaceted partnership".
But it must be noted that Lumbini has actually become a typical hub of the competing international forces including from the west and also India and other players in the region.
Lord Buddha was born at Lumbini and located in the Terai plains it is one of the holiest places of Buddhism.
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