DALAI LAMA’S ARUNACHAL TRIP INTERNAL ISSUE: INDIA TO CHINA

Tibetan spiri tual leader, the Dalai Lama, on Tuesday began a week-long visit to Arunachal Pradesh, India’s easternmost state that is at the heart of a decades-old dispute with China.

But, while China has been pre dictable in its warnings against the Dalai Lama’s visit, the weather was not – both in Arua nachal and Assam.

But neither could prevent the 14th Dalai Lama from travelling to the frontier state on Tuesday albeit with a last-minute change of plan, as a guest of the BJP ruled state government.

India also delivered a curt message to China, who had warned of more strain on the shaky bilateral relations.

The external affairs ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that “no additional colour should be ascribed to his reli gious and spiritual activities and visits to various states of India”

The Indian government therefore, urges that no “artifi cial controversy” should be cre ated around his current visit to Arunachal Pradesh, it added,

The statement followed junior home minister’s Kiren Rijiju’s assertion that the visit of the 81-year-old leader was “our internal affair”.

“China should not interfere just as we do not interfere in their internal matters,” Rijiju who hails from West Kameng district, said in Itanagar on Sun day. The spiritual leader was scheduled to fly to Tawang, a Buddhist pilgrimage at 10,000 feet, along with chief minister Pema Khandu.