MEA clarifies it takes no position on Dalai Lama after China's objection

The government has always upheld freedom of religion for all in India and will continue to do so, Randhir Jaiswal said

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said it does not take a position on the continuation of the Dalai Lama institution, adding that the government does not wish to comment on matters concerning religious beliefs and practices.

 

“We have seen reports relating to the statement made by His Holiness the Dalai Lama about the continuation of the Dalai Lama institution. The Government of India does not take any position or speak on matters concerning beliefs and practices of faith and religion,” said Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson, MEA.

 

“The government has always upheld freedom of religion for all in India and will continue to do so,” he added.

 

On Wednesday, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue and only the Gaden Phodrang Trust will have the authority to recognise his future reincarnation. 

 

The clarification by the MEA came after China objected to Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju's remarks that the incarnation of the Dalai Lama should follow his own wishes, urging India to act cautiously on Tibet-related issues to avoid its impact on the improvement of bilateral relations.

 

Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday asserted that the Dalai Lama is the "most important and defining institution" for the Buddhists.

 

"And all those who follow the Dalai Lama feel that the incarnation is to be decided by the established convention and as per the wish of the Dalai Lama himself. Nobody else has the right to decide it except him and the conventions in place," Rijiju said.

 

The Dalai Lama will celebrate his 90th birthday on July 6 in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, where the Tibetan government-in-exile is based following China’s takeover of the Tibet region in the 1950s. China is insistent on choosing the next Dalai Lama as it wants to prevent loosening its grip on the Tibetan region.

 

Rijiju, a practising Buddhist, and Rajiv Ranjan Singh, a fellow Union minister, will represent the Government of India at the event.