by Phurbu Thinley
New Delhi, November 7: After a week-long visit to Japan, the exiled Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Saturday returned to India, a day ahead of his scheduled trip to the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.
The Dalai Lama did not speak to waiting mediapersons at the New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport where he arrived amid tight security, PTI reported.
Despite stern objections from Beijing, the government of India has cleared the way for the Tibetan leader to undertake a week-long visit to Arunachal Pradesh, saying the “honoured” guest was “free to go anywhere in the country”.
The Dalai Lama’s New Delhi representative Mr Tempa Tsering today confirmed that the Tibetan leader will leave with a small delegation to Arunachal Pradesh tomorrow.
‘His Holiness will be in Arunachal Pradesh for a few days and will hold a religious discourse. I would like to stress that he will not be talking to the press,’ IANS quoted Tsering as saying prior to Dalai Lama’s arrival in New Delhi.
Objecting to the visit, China has said Dalai Lama was causing disharmony in India-China relations and said the visit “further exposes” the anti-China and “separatist nature” of the ‘Dalai clique’.
New Delhi, however, denied Chinese claim that the Dalai Lama’s planned visit to Arunachal Pradesh was in any way causing strain in bilateral ties between the two countries.
“There is no strain in bilateral ties,” foreign secretary Nirupama Rao reportedly told reporters in New Delhi on Wednesday.
While in Japan, the Dalai Lama had hit out at China for overpoliticizing his travels and said it reflected “negative” attitude, as his trip was not political.
“The Chinese government politicizes too much wherever I go. Where I go is not political,” the Dalai Lama said in Tokyo last week.
“I am surprised the Chinese government is negative about my visit. If my visit creates problem, I am very sad, that’s all,” he said.
Once in Arunachal Pradesh, its state government has said the revered Tibetan leader will be accorded the honour of ‘state guest‘ during his week-long tour.
