The Congress party on Saturday pledged to offer free pilgrimage tours to prominent Buddhist sites if it wins the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections.
At a press conference, former Delhi MP Udit Raj highlighted the lack of pilgrimage schemes for Buddhists, stating that the Congress would rectify this if it forms the government. Raj pointed out that the Delhi government already organises free pilgrimages for senior citizens to sites like Tirupati, Ayodhya, Vaishno Devi, and Balaji, and questioned why Buddhist sites such as Sarnath, Bodh Gaya, Lumbini, Deekshaboomi, and Mhow were excluded.
“If we form the government, we will ensure there is no discrimination and provide free pilgrimages to these sites as well,” Raj said.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government introduced the ‘Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra Yojana’ in 2019 to help senior citizens visit various religious sites across the country. The program covers 15 pilgrimage destinations, including Ayodhya, Dwarkadheesh, Puri, Varanasi, Vaishno Devi, Ajmer Sharif, Rameshwaram, Shirdi, Tirupati, and Amritsar.
Raj also took aim at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for not offering similar support for Buddhist priests. In December, Kejriwal announced that under the ‘Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana’, priests and gurdwara granthis would receive a monthly honorarium of Rs 18,000 if AAP returns to power.
Congress had previously staged a protest outside Kejriwal’s residence, demanding the same for Buddhist monks and priests of temples dedicated to Guru Ravidas and Lord Valmiki.
“We consider this a partial victory because Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also supported our cause publicly in a meeting in Kirari,” Raj added.
The Delhi Assembly elections will take place on February 5, with results set to be announced on February 8.