Recognition of Pali as classical language honours Buddha's heritage: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Thursday that the recognition of Pali as a classical language honours the great heritage of Lord Buddha, as he took swipe at past Congress governments for its neglect of India's cultural legacy after Independence. Speaking at a programme on the occasion of International Abhidhamma Divas, Modi said while every nation associates its heritage with its identity, India was left far behind. Invaders tried to erase India's identity before its Independence, and those suffering from "slave mindset" did so afterwards, he said, adding that an ecosystem captured the country which took it in an direction opposite to its its heritage. He said his government's policies and programmes have been guided by the teachings of Lord Buddha, reiterating that the world plagued by instability and insecurity can find solution to its problems in his teachings. World can find solution not in "yuddh" (war) but in Buddha, and it should learn from his teachings to pave the