DHARAMSHALA, JULY 21: A six member Tibetan parliamentary delegation met with over 28 Indian members of parliament from various political parties over the week in New Delhi where the delegation concluded their advocacy campaign launched through a resolution adopted by the Standing Committee of the exile Parliament after the 7th Session of the 15th Tibetan Parliament.
The Indian lawmakers that the delegation met included one former Prime Minister, nine former Union Ministers, five former Chief Ministers and 13 party leaders. Prominent among them were H. D. Deve Gowda, P.A.Sangma, Mani Shankar Aiyar, Sharad Yadav, Shanta Kumar, D. Raja, Ajit Singh, Shashi Tharoor, Arivind Kejriwal, Digvijay Singh, Bashist Nayarayan Singh, Kiren Rijiju, Shatrughan Sinha, Thokchom Menya and Thupten Chewang.
The Tibetans congratulated the newly elected members of the Indian parliament on their victory from their respective constituencies while also thanking them for their support for Tibet.
The Tibetan parliamentarians briefed their Indian counterparts about the current situation inside Tibet and urged them to bolster their support in resolving the crisis in Tibet.
The Tibetan parliamentarians also requested the Indian MPs to join the All-India Parliamentary Forum for Tibet and help revitalize the Forum to bolster Tibet advocacy in the Indian Parliament and various international platforms.
In a five-point memorandum submitted to the Indian MPs, the Tibetan parliamentarians urged their counterparts to call upon China to immediately end the human rights violation in Tibet and to resume dialogue with the Tibetan leader and the exile Tibetan administration. The appeal also included the need for India to make the Tibetan issue a priority in India-China relationship to make its position on Tibet ‘more pronounced’.
Lobsang Yeshi, a member of the delegation, said the Indian leaders assured them of their continuous support and solidarity with the Tibetans. “They expressed utmost love and reverence for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and vowed to carry forward the commitments of their senior leaders and the party towards the Tibetan people. The leaders unanimously acknowledged the importance of reviving the All Party Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet and expressed their willingness to participate in the same,” said Lobsang.
The delegation comprised of Tibetan MPs; Dolma Tsering, Monlam Tharchin, Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok, Choekyong Wangchuk and Lobsang Yeshi.
