DALAI LAMA MARKS 60 YEARS IN INDIA
DHARAMSHALA: Weeks after a note of the Cabinet Secretary advising senior Indian functionaries and political leaders to stay away from Tibet-related events became public, Minister of State for Culture Mahesh Sharma and BJP’s general secretary Ram Madhav attended a ‘Thank You India’ event to mark the Dalai Lama’s 60th year in exile on Saturday.
While the Tibetan leaders used the moment to express gratitude to India, Indian leaders focused on the ‘religious-cultural’ dimensions of the relationship, stayed away from political remarks, and made it a point to emphasise the government’s ‘one China policy’.
The event, hosted by the Tibetan government-in-exile, was originally planned in New Delhi but was scaled down after the Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha’s note became public. The note, based on a letter sent by Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale, was seen as a move by India to signal to China that it would respect its ‘sensitivities and core interests’. China sees the Tibetan movement as a secessionist movement. The cabinet secretary’s note however sparked concerns that India was dropping its support to the Tibetan community, prompting the Ministry of External Affairs to clarify that Dalai Lama was a ‘revered religious leader’, free to carry out ‘all religious activities’.
But given the concern, Indian officials felt that it was important to signal to Tibetans that Delhi remained their friend, said a political leader familiar with the issue. This led to the decision to send representatives to the Dharamshala event.
Congress MP Satyavrat Chaturvedi and former union minister Shanta Kumar too attended the event.
Addressing the audience, Dalai Lama said that Tibetans have been able to preserve their cultural and identity with the support of Indian government. The 1989 Nobel Peace Laureate said when he came to India he thought the two countries had the relationship of guru (teacher) and shishya (disciple) and that spirit is still continuing.
Maintaining that Tibetans and Indians were spiritually bound, BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav said India has welcomed refugees with open arms and heart. “We know what is life for a refugee. But you are not refugees. You are our guests..Indians and Tibetans are spiritual cousins,” said Madhav.
The BJP leader said that though India endorses “One China” policy but its relation with Tibet is much deeper, driven by religion and culture.
“Right from Nehru to Modi, the successive governments in India have followed One China Policy at political level. However, our bonds with the Tibetans are least political and intensely religious-cultural.”
Counselling perseverance to Tibetan community, Madhav said, “We wish that you return to your motherland soon...Yet, the perseverance is needed. The flames of intense desire to return to the motherland should be preserved intact.”