No say in Dalai Lama India travels, Govt to China

New Delhi: India on Thursday again dismissed Chinese objections to the forthcoming visit of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh in April, saying, that the Indian government has “no say in his travels within India” and that “no political meaning should be attached” to his visit.

New Delhi also described the Dalai Lama as a “revered figure”. On reports of the Chinese move to have a larger “BRICS plus” group with the inclusion of Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Mexico, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) adopted a cautious approach, saying it “would await details from the Chinese side”. China had earlier warned India against allowing the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh next month, saying it would cause “serious damage” to the ties.

When asked last year about the Dalai Lama’s proposed visit to Arunachal in April, the ministry said he is a “guest of India” and is free to travel across the country. “The Dalai Lama is a revered spiritual figure and an honoured guest of India. He is free to travel to any part of the country. He has a sizeable following among the Buddhists in Arunachal Pradesh and has visited the state in the past as well. We see nothing unusual if he visits again,” the MEA had said.