Apologetic Dalai Lama

Political leaders in India are becoming more imaginative rather than taking some time before making sort of baseless comments on history (like blaming Nehru, Gandhi and minorities). But unable to understand that how from the mouth of such a g reat spiritual leader like Nobel Laureate Tibetan Dalai Lama had stir red a controversy by saying that Jawaharlal Nehru had a “self-centered attitude” to become India’s first prime minister even though Mahatma Gandhi was in favour of Muhammad Ali Jinnah taking the top post at that time. Lama said that while Pandit Nehru was very experienced, mistakes do happen; if not then Dalai Lama is not in India. It seems that Dalai Lama may be forgotten that though political reason in 1956, his request for political asylum in India discouraged by the then PM Jawaharlal Nehru, as a provocation against peace, because Indian Gover nment's noninterventionist stance agreed upon with its 1954 treaty with China. But the same Nehru, at the outset of the 1959 Tibetan uprising, when Dalai Lama fled Tibet with nearly 80,000 Tibetan refugees on 30 March 1959, reaching Tezpur in Assam on 18 April, gave per mission to him to set up the Gover nment of Tibet in exile in Dharamshala, India, as "Little Lhasa". Now, the 83-year-old monk realised

his mistake and apologised for his controversial statement on Jinnah-Jawaharlal Nehru. Dalai Lama said, “My statement has created controversy. If I said something wrong I apologise”. Actually, as a spiritual leader, Dalai Lama should refrain from commenting on political issues pertaining to India. It’s not the right time for such academic questions, only to hurt Lama’s universal respect in India. — Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee