Dalai Lama and diplomacy by Indian government

NI Wire

New Delhi

Sat, 03 Nov 2007: 

Nov 03: He who praises India for providing another pleasant home, after his exiled from Tibet is caught in a political dilemma.

But diplomacy seems to have taken a major role when Indian Government ordered the ministers to stay away from e function in honour of the spiritual leader in New Delhi.

A communiqué said that attending the event would be against the country’s foreign policy.

KM Chandrasekhar, Cabinet Secretary wrote to ministers that attending the function was not in compliance with the foreign policy of the government and therefore directed them not to accept the invitations.

The function was organised by Gandhi Peace Foundation and All Party Indian Parliamentary Forum to honour the spiritual leader after he received US Congressional Gold Medal.

The organisers said that they were surprised to see that none of the minister turned up for the event.

Meanwhile, Dalai Lama shrugged off the controversies and said that since it was a private function justifying their absence from the event, he also mentioned that he had excellent relation with the Government of India.

He said in the function, “I am looking for complete retirement and to spend time on preparation of my next reincarnation”.

He said that he wanted to make it clear that he may die but Tibetan Community will remain and that his authority should be handed to the exiled Tibetan government in Dharamsala.

Earlier, US government presented US Congressional Gold Medal to Dalai Lama on October 17 last month, there also the ceremony was not organised in Oval Office instead in White House.

China protested and said that this step will put stain on Sino-US relationship. It accused the spiritual leader for pursing a political campaign for independent Tibet to which the spiritual leader said that he only wants greater autonomy for Tibet.

He accused Chinese for leading a cultural Genocide against Tibet complained that the Tibetans are reduced to minority in its own land.

Dalai Lama is living in India after he fled from Tibet in 1959 following a crackdown by Chinese troops of Tibetans uprising.

Indian Government has kept itself away from attending such ceremonies in recent times, this is also important in the light that India does not want to be tangled in the war of diplomacy against China.