Pune, November 29: OSHO followers who have been demanding restoration of the Buddha Hall received a shot in the arm when Union Minister of State for Tourism and Cultural Affairs Vinod Khanna joined issue with them and demanded that all the agencies concerned should conduct an inquiry into the matter.
Khanna, who was in the city on Friday, met the protesting followers at the intersection of North Main Road and Lane No. 1 on which the Osho Commune International is located before proceeding to Inox for the inaugural function of the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF).
Over 100 followers of Osho including Ma Yoga Neelam, Swami Chaitanya Keerti and Swami Tathagat staged demonstrations and submitted a memorandum to him demanding that the Buddha Hall should be protected.
While Khanna did not visit the Osho Commune International, he addressed the protesting followers of Osho and the media. ‘‘The sanyasins don’t want the Buddha Hall to be demolished and their demand is valid. I can understand their sentiments since I have myself meditated here. The sentiments of people not only from India but worldwide are involved and demolition of the Buddha Hall is disturbing. As a Minister, I would like to inquire what is going on. All agencies should inquire into the matter,’’ he said.
Khanna also opposed the decision to ban some sanyasins from entering the commune. ‘‘This is one commune. It is a spiritual place. Such things cannot happen here,’’ he said.
Courtesy: The Indian Express
