By Rituparna Bhowmik
New Delhi, July 3 — The Tibetan Youth Congress has raised the banner of revolt against the Dalai Lama. The provocation being what the TYC sees as the exiled leader’s insufficient criticism of the recent Sino-Indian agreement on Tibet. During the Prime Minister’s China visit, the two governments had signed a declaration that had India agreeing that “the Tibet Autonomous Region is a part of the People’s Republic of China”.
This, the TYC says, is unacceptable. And to oppose it they’re ready to defy the Dalai Lama, even to the extent of considering “guerrilla activities”.
“This is where the TYC falls out with the Dalai Lama who has said time and time again that he will not ‘accommodate any violent action’. But we will resort to any action, violent or non-violent, if it is necessary for our cause,” the TYC president, Mr Kalsang Phuntsok, told The Statesman over telephone from Dharamshala.
He said: “We’re planning to train our members for six-seven months in guerrilla warfare but it’s still in the thinking process… We also plan to go to the Indian people, especially to the schools and colleges, with our cause…”
According to officials, the TYC’s statements are a result of “internal dynamics within various factions of Tibetans”. The official representative of the Dalai Lama in Dharamshala had “greeted” the joint India-China Declaration, an official said, and there was no mention of any “sell out”.
For now, however, the TYC is approaching the issue carefully. It had initially planned demonstrations in all of its 77 centres across the world. “Although we condemn this declaration and want to show our unhappiness by holding the demonstration, yet the decision taken by the headquarters to postpone the stir is after giving a thought to the repercussions that such a move might invite,” said Mr Phuntsok.
