After govt red card, Tibetans shift event
NEWDELHI: Three days after a note by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha directed senior political leaders and government functionaries not to participate in Tibet-related activities became public, the Tibetan government-in-exile has shifted a high-profile event planned to commemorate the Dalai Lama’s 60th year in exile. The event will now happen in Dharamshala, not Delhi.
While Tibetan leaders have officially said they ‘understand’ India’s ‘compulsions’, the government has picked sentiments of ‘outrage, hurt and anger’ following the cabinet secretary’s note.
On Friday, the Indian Express reported that Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale first wrote to the cabinet secretary pointing to the sensitivity of relations with China.
He specifically mentioned a ‘Thank You India’ Event being organised in Delhi’s Thyagaraja Stadium on April 1 by the Tibetan government in exile. “The Dalai Lama set-up also intends to invite a number of Indian dignitaries...participation by senior leaders, or government functionaries..is not desirable and should be discouraged.”
China sees Tibet as an integral part of itself and does not recognize the Tibetan government in exile.
Ngodup Dhongchung, representative of the Dalai Lama in Delhi, confirmed that the event has been rescheduled.
“We will now have the event in Dharamshala instead of Delhi. We will also have it on March 31 instead of April 1.” For the Delhi event, the Tibetan government in exile is understood to have invited former PM Dr Manmohan Singh and BJP’S senior leader L K Advani.