By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, MARCH 10: Rejecting China’s objection to the exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama’s scheduled visit to Arunachal Pradesh, India on Thursday asked China not to politicize the visit, saying the Tibetan leader is a revered figure with right to travel anywhere he wishes to.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Banglay said that the government has no say in the Dalai Lama’s travel plan within the country and its stand regarding the matter has been consistent.
“He is a revered religious figure, who is treated as such by the government and the people of India. The government has no say in his travel within India and no political meaning should be attached to them as such,” he said at a media briefing in New Delhi.
Union minister of state for home affairs, Kiren Rijiju last week extended his support saying he will receive the Tibetan leader personally in Tawang.
“India is fully aware of the seriousness of the Dalai Lama issue and the sensitivity of the China-India border question. Under such a background if India invites the Dalai Lama to visit the mentioned territory, it will cause serious damage to peace and stability of the border region and China-India relations,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said last week.
Claimed as ‘Southern Tibet’, Beijing has often laid territorial claim over the disputed state, which remains a bone of contention between the two super powers of Asia. The two nations have held 19 rounds of discussions so far on the border dispute.
According to Dai Bingguo, a former negotiator for China on the border talks, Tawang is an ‘inalienable’ part of Tibet and the border issue is persistent because China’s ‘request in the east have not been met.’
“If the Indian side takes care of China’s concerns in the eastern sector (Arunachal Pradesh) of their border. The Chinese side will respond accordingly and address India’s concerns elsewhere (Aksai Chin, J&K),” Dai was quoted by the government run Global Times.
Dai served as the China’s Special Representative on the boundary issue with India in 15 rounds of talks from 2003 to 2013. The last round of talks was held in Beijing last April.
