Rijiju joins Buddhist leaders, UP lawmakers at community gathering
Synopsis
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju attended a Buddhist community gathering on 27 October 2026 alongside Farrukhabad MP Mukesh Rajput, Uttar Pradesh legislators, and leaders of organisations including the Youth Buddhist Society of India and Global Buddhist Foundation, with monks and scholars from India and abroad.
Key Takeaways
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju attended a Buddhist community event on 27 October 2026 .
Farrukhabad MP Mukesh Rajput and UP MLAs R.N.
Agnihotri (Bhogaon) and Dr.
Surabhi (Kaimganj) were present.
Suresh Chandra Baudh , national president of the Youth Buddhist Society of India , attended alongside General Secretary Bhikshu Dr.
Subroto Barua of the Global Buddhist Foundation and Bhante Devendra of the Shravasti Kalyan Mitra Foundation also participated.
Buddhist monks and scholars from India and multiple countries were in attendance, giving the event an international dimension.
The gathering reflects the Ministry of Minority Affairs' ongoing cultural outreach to India's Buddhist population and heritage sites.
Union Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju joined a cross-section of Buddhist scholars, monks, legislators and community leaders at a gathering that brought together voices from across India and several other countries on Tuesday, 27 October 2026.
The event saw an unusually broad assembly. Sharing the stage with Rijiju were Mukesh Rajput, Member of Parliament from Farrukhabad; R.N. Agnihotri, MLA from Bhogaon (Mainpuri) constituency; and Dr. Surabhi, MLA from Kaimganj constituency — three active voices from western Uttar Pradesh's political landscape. Mamtesh Shakya, former MLA from Etah, and Mamta Singh Rajput, BJP district president for Mainpuri, rounded out the local political representation.
Buddhist organisations from India and beyond
The gathering drew prominent figures from India's organised Buddhist community. Suresh Chandra Baudh, national president of the Youth Buddhist Society of India, was present alongside the organisation's patron Mahesh Prakash Gupta and its general secretary, Bhikshu Dr. Upanand. Subroto Barua, president of the Global Buddhist Foundation, and Bhante Devendra, director of the Shravasti Kalyan Mitra Foundation, also attended — signalling the event's reach beyond any single regional group.
Rijiju's post noted the presence of 'respected Buddhist monks from India and various countries, eminent scholars, students and distinguished guests associated with the Buddhist community' — a composition that underlines the event's character as both a cultural exchange and a ministerial outreach.
Why a Minority Affairs minister at a Buddhist event matters
India's Ministry of Minority Affairs covers six notified minority communities, with Buddhists among them. Ministerial participation in community gatherings serves a dual purpose: it signals governmental recognition of the community's cultural and spiritual significance, and it provides a direct channel for organisations — from grassroots societies to international foundations — to engage with policy leadership. The presence of legislators from Mainpuri and Farrukhabad districts, both in Uttar Pradesh, adds a local constituency dimension to what is otherwise a nationally and internationally flavoured event.
Uttar Pradesh is home to some of Buddhism's most sacred geography — Sarnath, Kushinagar, and Shravasti among them — making it a natural hub for such exchanges. Rijiju's engagement with Buddhist leadership fits a broader pattern of the ministry using cultural diplomacy to strengthen ties with Buddhist-majority nations in Southeast and East Asia.
Point of View
Visible solidarity with a community whose sacred sites are concentrated in UP also serves electoral geography. The pattern of such engagements, repeated across Buddhist heritage circuits, reflects a deliberate cultivation of community goodwill that goes beyond ceremonial optics.
NationPress
27 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Buddhist organisations were represented at Kiren Rijiju's event?
The Youth Buddhist Society of India, the Global Buddhist Foundation and the Shravasti Kalyan Mitra Foundation were among the organisations represented at the gathering.
Why does the Ministry of Minority Affairs engage with Buddhist communities?
Buddhists are one of six notified minority communities under the Ministry of Minority Affairs, making cultural outreach and policy dialogue with Buddhist organisations part of the ministry's formal mandate.
Who is Kiren Rijiju?
Kiren Rijiju is a senior BJP leader from Arunachal Pradesh who currently serves as Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minister of Minority Affairs in the Government of India.
Which UP legislators attended the Buddhist community event with Rijiju?
Farrukhabad MP Mukesh Rajput, Bhogaon (Mainpuri) MLA R.N. Agnihotri, and Kaimganj MLA Dr. Surabhi attended alongside former Etah MLA Mamtesh Shakya.
What is the significance of Uttar Pradesh for India's Buddhist heritage?
Uttar Pradesh is home to major Buddhist pilgrimage sites including Sarnath, Kushinagar and Shravasti, making it a focal point for Buddhist cultural events and international religious tourism.
