Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken a keen interest in highlighting the cultural significance of Buddhism, as a part of diplomatic engagement with India's neighbours. On Monday, Modi will be part of a special function to celebrate Buddha Jayanti. He will pay his respects to relics of Buddha preserved in the National Museum.
This year’s celebrations assume greater significance as the government is keen to reach out to dalits after a series of violent protests across the country. Many of the dalits, following in the footsteps of Ambedkar, had followed the tradition of converting to Buddhism in protest against the caste system.
The prime minister, along with other dignitaries, will pay their respects to the sacred relics specially brought for the occasion from the National Museum, New Delhi, to the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. Modi will also perform the offering of Sangha Dana (Cheevar Vastram and Sacred Leaf of Bodhi Tree) to the venerated Sangha. The event would also house an exhibition gallery with murals, photographs and artefacts.
In a bid to engage with the dalits, who are electorally significant in several states, Modi is expected to highlight the role played by Buddhism in the cultural integration of the country. The prime minister, during the month, had inaugurated a special museum for Ambedkar. The moves have been seen largely as part of a strategy to placate the anger brewing in the dalit community for several reasons, including incidents of atrocities in the BJP ruled states.
Buddha Purnima is the third such event this year; Modi had announced that the day would be commemorated and celebrated as an annual event. Accordingly, a separate organising committee was set up under the chairpersonship of the Minister of State for Culture Mahesh Sharma, with the Minister of State for Home, Kiren Rijiju, as co-chairperson. Dr Dhammapiya, secretary general of International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), a global umbrella Buddhist body headquartered in New Delhi, is the convener of the organising committee in India. The committee also includes dalit leaders like Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale
, Udit Raj MP and Sunil Gaikwad MP.