‘If Jinnah was made the PM, India would have stayed united’
PANAJI: India would have remained a united country if Jinnah had become the first prime minister, the fourteenth Dalai Lama said in Goa on Wednesday.
Speaking at an event organised by the Goa Institute of Management to kick off its silver jubilee celebrations, the Dalai Lama said the “mistake” has cost India.
“Mistakes always happen. Now, look at India. I think Mahatma Gandhi ji was very much willing to give prime ministership to Jinnah. But Pandit Nehru refused. I think Pandit Nehru’s was a little bit self-centred,” he said. “Pandit Nehru, I know very well was a very experienced person, very wise, but sometimes mistakes happen.”
He was answering a question asked by a student on how to “make sure we don’t take wrong decisions due to our emotions while making these choices.”
The Dalai Lama, living in exile in India since he fled Chinese forces in 1959, also said that Tibet was no longer seeking independence from China, yet China still considers him a separatist.
“I had a lot of discussion with Nehru. On one occasion, Nehru told me that America will not go to war with China to liberate Tibet. Very true! And, he told me that sooner or later you will have to discuss the issue with the Chinese government. So in 1974, we decided not seeking independence. But history is history.
“I am one of the admirers of the European Union. They think they consider common interest is more important than national sovereignty... So that’s very practical, very realistic and the world becomes smaller and smaller. We had to consider whether separate, independent (Tibet) will be more beneficial or remaining in the People’s Republic of China will be...” he argued.
“So, therefore, from our side, we are open. But Chinese officials still consider me a separatist. But, all over the world those who have some knowledge of Tibet they know that we are not seeking independence,” he added.
“The Chinese communists, their power comes from the military forces. The barrel of the gun. Our source of strength is the truth. Temporarily the power of the gun is more decisive. But in the long run power of the truth is much more stronger... We never consider Chinese people as the enemy. We respect them. So the better way we always look to them as brothers and sisters.”