India doesn't take position on religious practice: MEA on Dalai Lama successor

Hindustan Times

15 hours ago

New Delhi: The external affairs ministry responded to the Dalai Lama's assertion that only a trust set up by him can recognise his successor by saying on Friday that the Indian government doesn't take any position on matters concerning religious practices. The Dalai Lama's announcement had drawn an angry response from Beijing, which said the spiritual leader's reincarnation 'must be approved' by the Chinese government (PTI)
The remarks by external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal came two days after the 89-year-old spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism announced the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue after his death, and laid out the process for choosing his successor.
The Dalai Lama's announcement had drawn an angry response from Beijing, which said the spiritual leader's reincarnation 'must be approved' by the Chinese government.
Jaiswal responded to media queries regarding the spiritual leader's statement on the continuation of the institution of the Dalai Lama by saying: 'Government of India does not take any position or speak on matters concerning beliefs and practices of faith and religion.'
The government 'has always upheld freedom of religion for all in India and will continue to do so', he said.
Jaiswal's remarks appeared to signal New Delhi's balanced approach to the matter, especially in view of India's ongoing efforts to normalise relations with China, and keeping in mind Beijing's sensitivities. It also left the issue of choosing the Dalai Lama's successor in the hands of Tibetan Buddhists, people familiar with the matter said.
On Thursday, Union minister Kiren Rijiju had asserted that the right to pick the Dalai Lama's successor rests with the incumbent and the institution. The remarks by Rijiju, a practising Buddhist, were widely perceived as reflecting the views of the government.
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Rijiju, who is set to attend celebrations in Dharamshala marking the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday on July 6 along with Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh and the chief ministers of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, also said the institution of the Dalai Lama is the most important and defining institution for Tibetans in Tibet and around the world.
'And all those who follow the Dalai Lama feel that the incarnation is to be decided by the established convention and as per the wish of the Dalai Lama himself…Nobody else has the right to decide it except him and the conventions in place,' Rijiju said.
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He said the government's decision to depute two senior ministers to attend the celebrations in Dharamshala is not a political matter.
On Wednesday, the Dalai Lama addressed speculation that has swirled about the future of the 600-year-old institution of spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhists by saying that the position will continue after his death and the Gaden Phodrang Trust will be the sole authority to recognise his reincarnation. His remarks effectively shut out any role for China in choosing his successor.
The Dalai Lama had himself contributed to the speculation since the Nobel peace laureate said in 2011 that he would decide on his 90th birthday whether the position should continue.
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An irate China, which describes the Dalai Lama as a 'separatist', responded soon after by saying that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama must be chosen by drawing lots from a 'golden urn' and approved by the government in Beijing.
The Chinese side claims the golden urn method has been used to choose the successors of Tibetan Buddhist leaders since the 18th century, but this practice has been dismissed outright by the Dalai Lama and his millions of followers.
Experts believe China will go ahead with choosing its own Dalai Lama, as it did in the case of the Panchen Lama in 1995.