Is India buckling under Chinese pressure on Dalai Lama?

In response to a query regarding a recent media report on the Government’s position on the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual Guru Dalai Lama, the Official Spokesperson said:

“Government of India’s position on His Holiness the Dalai Lama is clear and consistent. He is a revered religious leader and is deeply respected by the people of India. There is no change in that position. His Holiness is accorded all freedom to carry out his religious activities in India.”

The government issued this statement as India-Chian relations have turned for the worse. There were reports in newspapers that a note dated February 22 has been sent by Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale to Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha.

After which, Sinha, as per an Indian Express report, told the senior leaders and government functionaries of the Centre and states that it is “not desirable” to participate in the events of the Tibetan leadership in exile.

China calls the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetans, a “splittist” and a “dangerous separatist”.

Sinha in his note said that participation in Dalai Lama events “should be discouraged.”

Dalai Lama is considered a revered guru in India and abroad. China sees him as dangerous despite the spiritual Guru’s stress on non-violence, shows the Dragon’s anxiety in face of even minuscule resistance. However, should India allow itself to be bullied by China which clearly is trying to create problems for India in the Maldives, and also other nations in the South China Sea?

The ‘imperialistic’ China is not going to withdraw itself and learn to respect ‘boundaries’ anytime soon and Dalai Lama is a mere excuse to browbeat India on foreign policy.

So, wouldn’t it be wise for the government to ensure that it stays aloof on the subject of Dalai Lama and not pay heed to China just like China is unable to pay heed to the Indian concerns and even refusal to share upstream data on Brahmaputra and Sutlej?

It is time to pay the Chinese back in the currency they value.

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