Southern States - Karnataka

Buddhists seek exclusive law

By Our Staff Correspondent

GULBARGA March 2. The All-India Boudha Maha Sabha has demanded an exclusive law for the Buddhists in the country, and the separation of Buddhism from the Hindu dharma.

At a press conference here on Saturday, Shivaram Moga, founder member of the sabha, Basanna Singhe, General Secretary of the State unit of the BSP, Bhimarao Tegaltippe, President of its district unit, and R.S.Durgi, General Secretary of the unit, said the Buddhists would organise rallies all over country on Monday in support of the demands.

Mr. Moga said the Prasar Bharathi should take steps to air programmes on Buddhism and its preachings for at least an hour a day through Akashvani and Doordarshan. The Centre should immediately constitute an academy for the development of Pali, the language of Buddhism.

He said school and college textbooks should contain the messages and works of Buddha and Dr. B. R.Ambedkar. The Buddhists should be treated as Scheduled Castes for the Census enumeration, and Mahaparinirvana (death anniversary of Dr. Ambedkar) on December 6 should be declared a national holiday.

The sabha urged the Government to scrap the Bodhgaya Vihar Law 1949, and bring in new legislation to ensure that only the Buddhists became members of the Bodhgaya Management Committee. The increased entry fee to the Buddhist centres should be rolled back.

Demanding that the Mumbai-Dadar Railway Station be renamed as "Chaitya Bhoomi'', Mr. Moga and Mr. Singhe said the Centre should give up the move to review the Constitution.

Mr. Moga demanded that the Centre form Buddhist boards at the national and the State levels on lines similar to that of the Wakf Board to protect the monuments and properties of Buddhism and its practitioners.

He said the Buddhists should be given adequate representation in the National Minorities Commission. The unemployed Buddhist youth should be given doles, he added.

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