By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, December 17: India has responded to China’s allegation of it allowing political platform to the Dalai Lama by saying that the event that the Tibetan leader participated alongside President of India on Dec. 10 was non political.
Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Vikas Swarup in reply said, “India has a consistent position. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a respected and revered spiritual leader. It was a non-political event organized by Nobel laureates dedicated to the welfare of children.”
Miffed over the meeting between the Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, China on Friday reacted with a ‘strong dissatisfaction’ against the decision of inviting the Dalai Lama to Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of President of India.
As expected, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said India must respect the core interest of China to avoid any disturbance in relationship between the two super powers of Asia.
“The Chinese side is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to that,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Geng Shuang in Beijing, adding that India has disregarded China’s ‘solemn representation and strong opposition’ to inviting the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader to participation in an event with the President and their meeting.
The Nobel Peace Laureate attended the ‘Laureates and Leaders for Children Summit’ in New Delhi on December 10 along with the President Mukherjee making it the first meeting between a serving President of India and the Dalai Lama in the last three decades.
This is the second time in last two months that Beijing has protested against the Tibetan leader’s activities.
