Buddhist monks stage protest near CM’s house, want repeal of BT Act

Patna: In another lapse in CM Nitish Kumar's security on Tuesday, Buddhist monks from Bodh Gaya and teacher aspirants reached near the CM's house and staged protests. The Buddhist monks sat on dharna against the inclusion of people from other religions in the Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC).Later, a delegation met with the CM to demand that the BT Act, 1949, be repealed and that Buddhists be given the right to govern the Mahabodhi Temple. One of the delegation members said the CM should make this announcement before or on the Buddha Purnima day on May 12.The Bodh Gaya Temple Act, also known as BT Act, 1949, has the provision of an eight-member management committee evenly divided between Buddhists and Hindus with Gaya district magistrate as an ex-officio chairperson. The Buddhists have been protesting against the Act for a long time.One of the delegation members told this newspaper that Christians manage their churches, Muslims their mosques and Sikhs their gurdwaras. Then why non-Buddhists are allowed in the management of the Gaya's Mahabodhi Temple, he asked.The movement of Buddhist monks regarding the historic Mahabodhi Temple has gained momentum in the last few months. About 100 Buddhist monks have been staging a dharna near the Mahabodhi Temple complex since February this year.This dispute has its roots in the BT Act, 1949. Bodh Gaya is considered one of the four major pilgrimage sites of Buddhism in the world. It is believed that Lord Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree there. Lumbini, Sarnath and Kushinagar are the other three holy places of Buddhists.In the 1990s, the then CM Lalu Prasad tried to bring the Bodh Gaya Mahavihara Bill in place of BTA to hand over the control of the temple to the Buddhists. However, that bill could not be implemented.The temple issue is entangled in legal complications as the Buddhists' claim on the temple comes under the purview of the Places of Worship Act, 1991, which prohibits any change in the religious nature of places of worship after August 15, 1947. This law has also been challenged in the Supreme Court.In March this year, Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment, Ramdas Athawale, visited the Mahabodhi Temple and later met CM Nitish Kumar in Patna. Athawale said he urged the CM to give the Buddhists control over the Mahabodhi temple.