"Ninety nine per cent of Indians still are religiously tolerant and one per cent it is possible (to have intolerant people). I believe that. Some politicians may express different things, but that is their individual expression," the Dalai Lama told PTI in an interview here.
"Some people in the media too create small things into ....Create sensationalism,' said the Dalai Lama, on a three-day visit to Bengaluru.
"In India I feel, when we look at the newspapers, there are a lot of problems, but besides that nothing serious - Totalitarian regimes' newspaper is smooth, but underneath a lot of problems," he said.
Asked about criticism that writers did nothing like returning awards during the Emergency and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the Dalai Lama said US President Barack Obama had mentioned Modi as a straightforward and a visionary leader and his visits to different countries has improved India's image and it is on the path becoming an economic power.
about Modi's alleged "connection" with the post-Godhra riots, but these issues crop up during elections.
"When he (Modi) was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, a Muslim friend said he (Modi) may have some doubt about his connection with post-Godhra violence. I don't know ... During elections we see more criticism of such kind," he said.
"This kind of criticism also is witnessed in Tibetan communities during elections and whenever a political matter crops up," he added.
However, this sort of criticism is better than the totalitarian regimes of China and North Korea, where there is no sort of freedom of expression for different views, he said.