BHOPAL: The Buddhists have joined the Ram temple-Babri Masjid controversy by staking claim over the disputed site in Ayodhya.

In order to show their strength a Massive demonstration has been planned in Delhi on Dec.6 coinciding with the commencement of kar seva by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and others at Ayodhya.

On the sly masses are being mobilized for ensuring the participation of two lakh Buddhists and neo-Buddhists in the demonstration They will also protest against the move to convert Mababodhi Vihar into a Hindu temple.

The neo-Buddhists are saying that construction of temple at Ayodhya by the VHP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is a step towards the capturing of Buddhists places all over the country it is reliably learned.

The root cause of this new controversy is the claim that the VHP had made about Bodh Gaya located in Mahavihar. The VHP has adopted a hard-line which Buddhists and neo-Buddhists are now all set to confront. This issue generated a lot of beat when claims and counter-claims over the Mahavihar were made by Buddhist monks and Sanatani pundits.

The simmering resentment among Buddhists and neo-Buddhists against the VHP had come to the fore when they had organized a bandh at Bodh Gaya on Oct.22. That day some of the VHP leaders had forcibly entered Mahavihar. Subsequently Bodh Gaya Mahabodhi Vihar Action Committee (BGMVAC) decided to organize a demonstration.

The contention of the Buddhists and neo-Buddhists is that besides the VHP and the Babri Masjid Action Committee they should be included as the third party to sort out the Ayodhya issue. They have also demanded that Buddhist monks should also be invited if there was a meeting of Hindu saints.

According to them Emperor Ashok had a monastery built at Maniparvat on the outskirts of Ayodhya and therefore the place is important to the Buddhist culture Besides they point out that a huge population of neo-Buddhists resides in cities like Nagpur Bhandara Tumsar Gondia (Maharashtra) Rajnandgaon Dongargarh Durg and Raipur (MP).

Article extracted from this publication >> December 18, 1992