Sareeka Tewari
Chandigarh
Dalai Lama says Tibetans not asking for independence, can live with China
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama courted controversy by stating that Tibet is ready to be part of China provided Beijing agrees to guarantee certain rights.
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama addresses during “Thank You Karnataka” an event to mark 60th year of Tibetan arrival to India, in Bengaluru on Aug 10, 2018.
Two days after praising Jinnah over Nehru now
Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama stoked a political flame by stating that Tibet is ready to be part of China provided Beijing agrees to guarantee certain rights.
Speaking at an event organised by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in Bengaluru, the Dalai Lama said, “Tibetans are not asking for independence. We are willing in remaining with the People’s Republic of China, provided we have full rights to preserve our culture.”
At the “Thank You Karnataka” event, the 83-year-old Nobel Peace laureate said, “Several of Chinese citizens practicing Buddhism are keen on Tibetan Buddhism as it is considered scientific.”
Dalai Lama Says Sorry if his Remark on Nehru was Wrong.
Dalai Lama’s ‘Tibet Does Not Seek Independence’
On November 25, 2017 while adressing a seminar of CII His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s said that Tibet does not seek independence. His statement drew a mixed reactions from the public. That was the first time the Tibetan leader had so lucidly explained what he wants from China.
The Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) said that they respected everyone’s opinion but Tibet was an independent country and it is their right to struggle for freedom.
“We are not opposing anything and respect everyone’s opinion. But our struggle is for freedom of Tibet and it will go on,” TYC president Tenzin Jigme said.
The Students for Free Tibet (SFT) who have long been vocal about complete freedom for Tibet stated that there were many things that can be done for Tibet cause. “In any movement for independence there are different methods and ideologies to reach a goal. We respect the Dalai Lama’s vision – this is one thing, but there are so many things that can be done for Tibet cause. The SFT believes that Tibet is an independent country and we are working towards that,” national executive director of the SFT, Tselha, said.
Supporting the Dalai Lama’s stance was the Tibetan Women Association (TWA) who maintained that Dalai Lama had never said Tibet is not an independent country. “We are seeking genuine autonomy. The Dalai Lama has never said that Tibet is not an independent country,” TWA president Dolma Yangchen said.
Tibetan writer and poet Tenzin Tsundue, when asked about the statement, said, “The Dalai Lama’s statement cannot be taken as not wanting independence and supporting China. Given a chance, who would not want freedom? The Dalai Lama is a Buddha, he can envision living with enemy but the demand of the Tibetans is only human, and they want freedom.”
Only two days ago, the 14th Dalai Lama enraged many by saying that India would not have been partitioned had Pakistan’s founding father Muhammed Ali Jinnah become the Prime Minister instead of Jawaharlal Nehru.
During an interaction with students in Goa, the Dalai Lama said, “Mahatma Gandhi wanted to give the prime ministership to (Mohammad Ali) Jinnah. But Nehru refused. He was self-centred. He said, ‘I wanted to be Prime Minister’. India and Pakistan would have been united (had Jinnah been made Prime Minister at the time). Pandit Nehru was wise and experienced. But mistakes do happen.”
As his remarks triggered outrage, the Dalai Lama on Thursday tendered an apology. “My statement has created controversy, I apologise if I said something wrong,” he said.
“I had a close relationship with Nehru, who suggested having separate schools to preserve the Tibetan thought. He (Nehru) supported the Tibetans’ cause,” the 14th Dalai Lama said.
Born in Taktser hamlet in northeastern Tibet, the Dalai Lama was recognised at the age of two as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso. He fled to India from Tibet after a failed uprising against the Chinese rule in 1959.
China annexed Tibet in 1950, forcing thousands of Tibetans, including monks, to flee the mountain country and settle in India as refugees.
Since then, India has been home to over 100,000 Tibetans majorly settled in Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh among other states.
