'No Doubt Gautam Buddha Was Born In Lumbini, In Nepal,' Says India Amid Controversy

India has dismissed the controversy over the birthplace of Gautam Buddha. India said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's remarks on him were about "our shared Buddhist heritage" and there's "no doubt" that the founder of Buddhism was born in Nepal's Lumbini. During a webinar on August 8, Jaishankar mentioned about India's moral leadership and how Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi's teachings are still relevant. However, the Nepalese media quoted him as saying that Buddha was an Indian. In New Delhi, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava on August 9 said the minister's remarks at the event "referred to our shared Buddhist heritage”. "There is no doubt that Gautam Buddha was born in Lumbini, which is in Nepal," Srivastava said. Earlier, Nepalese Foreign Ministry raised objection over Jaishankar's remark quoted in the Nepalese media, saying "it is a well-established and undeniable fact proven by historical evidence that Buddha was born in Lumbini, Nepal.” During his visit to Nepal in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing Nepal's Parliament said, "Nepal is the country where the apostle of peace in the world, Buddha, was born," recalled the Nepalese Foreign Ministry. Former prime minister and senior leader of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal Madhav Kumar Nepal said the alleged statement made by Jaishankar that Buddha was a great Indian is "baseless and objectionable.”

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 10, 2020 05:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).