This was in response to Dalai Lama who said that it is only a trust that he established that can identify his successor, the foreign affairs ministry replied on Friday that the Indian government does not take a side on issues related to the religious activities.
The comments by the spokesperson of the ministry of external affairs Randhir Jaiswal were made two days after the living religious head of the Tibetan Buddhism, who is 89 years, declared that the office of Dalai Lama will persist after his demise and prescribed the procedure of his heir selection.
Beijing had reacted angrily to the announcement made by Dalai Lama, saying that the re-incarnation process to be run by the spiritual leader must be mandated by the current Chinese government.
Reacting to media questions on the statement of the spiritual leader on whether he believes that the institution of the Dalai Lama would continue or not, Jaiswal merely stated: “Government of India does not take position or comments on the doctrines and practice of faith and religion.”
He said that the government had never discriminated against freedom of religion to any population group in India and will never discriminate.
It seemed that due to comments of Jaiswal, New Delhi was demonstrating its reasonableness towards the issue, considering that India was trying to normalise relationships with China, and taking into account the sensitivity of Beijing. It also put the matter on selecting the succesor of the Dalai Lama into the hands of Tibetan Buddhists people who are conversant with the issue said.
On Thursday, the Union minister Kiren Rijiju had insisted that the right to choose the successor of Dalai lies with him and also the institution. The comments were seen as those of the government especially since Rijiju is a practising Buddhist.
Following, Rijiju, who along with the Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh and the chief ministers of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim are scheduled to attend celebrations in Dharamshala marking the Dalai Lama 90th birthday on July 6 said that the Dalai Lama and the institution of Dalai Lama are the most important and defining institutions of the Tibetans in Tibet and across the world.
And everyone who put his faith in the Dalai Lama feels that the incarnation is to be determined by the established convention and as per the impulse of Dalai Lama himself…There is no one to intervene but he and the conventions on the ground, Rijiju said.
According to him, the act of the government in sending senior ministers to be present during the celebrations in the Dharamshala is not a political issue.
The Dalai Lama himself flew down to Delhi on Wednesday to counter speculation which has swirled over the future of the 600-year-old office of spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhists by saying the post will not die with him and his reincarnation will be recognised only by the Gaden Phodrang Trust. His comments have essentially excluded any Chinese participation in selection of who will succeed him.
Dalai Lama himself had fueled the speculation as the Nobel peace laureate had mentioned in 2011 that he will make a decision on the 90th birthday whether the post will be perpetuated or not.
Shortly afterwards an enraged China, which refers to the Dalai Lama as a “separatist” had a say by stating that the next reincarnation of Dalai Lama should be selected through drawing of lots in a “golden urn” and government of Beijing should concur.
On its part, the Chinese side argues that the tradition of selecting the successors to the Tibetan Buddhist leaders by golden urn was applied since the 18 th century, and the succession was usurped due to the dismissal by Dalai Lama and his millions of supporters in their entirety.
Experts believe China will go ahead with choosing its own Dalai Lama, as it did in the case of the Panchen Lama in 1995.
China’s Message To India After Kiren Rijiju Backs Dalai Lama On Succession Plans
China has ordered India to be cautious when dealing on matters relating to Tibet and China has also opposed the statement made by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju that, the incarnation of the Dalai Lama should succeed according to his wish.
The current Minority Affairs Minister stated on Thursday that it is Dalai Lama and the organisation that he has established which holds the powers to recognise his successor in the spiritual leadership of Tibetan Buddhas, a statement that is an exact opposite to the stand taken by China for several years. China in its turn has requested India to be careful in its speaking and actions so that the bilateral relations can get positive change in no negative manner.
On its part, the ministry of external affairs, in a turn against the position made by Mr Rijiju has contended that the Indian government, unlike the position outlined by Mr Rijiju, does not take any position or speak on issues relating to beliefs and practices of faith and religion.
The foreign ministry said that the government has never been opposed to the freedom of religion to anyone in India and never will be.
Mao Ning, the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry earlier today responded to the comments by Mr Rijiju and came up with the following statement: India must be mindful of the anti-China separatist character of the 14th Dalai Lama and keep its word on Xizang (Tibet) related issues.
Indian Dalai Lama, who escaped into India in 1959 after he failed to lead a revolt against the Chinese regime, said Wednesday that once he died, he would be reborn as the next Dalai Lama and that only the Gaden Phodrang Trust could get his successor. Before, he mentioned that the individual will not be born in China.
Beijing claims to have a say in the successor of Dalai Lama since imperial times.
Nobody has a right to meddle or choose who will be the successor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He (or his institution) and he alone can make that call. His believers feel so profoundly,” Mr Rijiju said before his visit to the Dalai Lama enclaves in Dharamshala Sunday to celebrate his 90 th birthday.
Rajiv Ranjan Singh, a fellow Union minister and Mr Rijiju, who is a practising Buddhist is representing the Government of India in the birthday celebrations.
Ms Mao again stressed that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama who was the second-high priest of the Tibetan Buddhism must face strict religious procedure and historical custom adherence according to national search followed by drawing of lots in a so-called gold urn and the official endorsement of the central government.
She added that the current 14th Dalai Lama underwent this process and received the endorsement of the then central government, but the reincarnation of Dalai Lama should not go against such principles and religious rites, historical norms, Chinese laws and regulations, she said.
India China Relations had reached an all low following a deadly border conflict in 2020 but they are gradually recovering. The relationships were re-established between the two nations after an interaction between the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit at Kazan in Russia last year followed by a series of top-level interactions.
Restarting the Kailash and Mansarovar Yatra of the Indian pilgrims that was recently taken is said to be the first step taken by both the nations to normalise relations.
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