India sidesteps Chinese criticism for felicitating Dalai Lama

Sandeep Dikshit

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New Delhi, July 7

India sidestepped Chinese ire over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday greetings to the Dalai Lama on his 87thbirthday on Wednesday by pointing out that as a revered spiritual leader, he is accorded all due courtesies.

“It is a consistent policy of the Government of India to treat His Holiness Dalai Lama as an honoured guest in India and as a respected religious leader who enjoys a large following in India.

“His Holiness is accorded all due courtesies and freedom to conduct his religious and spiritual activities in India. Hisbirthday is celebrated by many of his followers in India and abroad. The birthday greetings by Hon’ble PM to his Holiness on his 87th birthday should be seen in this overall context,” said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.

Bagchi had been asked to react to the Chinese side stating that Tibet-related affairs are China’s internal affairs and brook no interference by any external forces. “China firmly opposes all forms of contact between foreign officials and the Dalai Lama,” the Chinese MFA spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Thursday.

Maintaining that all rights and freedoms in Tibet are protected, Zhao, however, trained most of the fire on US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, asking Washington to fully understand the importance and highly sensitive nature of Tibet-related issues.

But on two Indian Deputy Ministers attending a birthday function for the Dalai Lama in Delhi, he said the Indian side needs to abide by its commitments to China on Tibet-related issues, “act and speak with prudence and stop using Tibet-related issues to interfere in China’s internal affairs”.