Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister SM Krishna has categorically dismissed the objections raised by Beijing over Tibetan leader Dalai Lama’s proposed visit to Arunachal Pradesh.
In an interview to a news channel Wednesday, Krishna said, "Arunachal Pradesh is a part of India and the Dalai Lama is free to go anywhere in India. The only question is that he is not expected to comment on political developments."
The External Affairs Minister further termed China’s concerns regarding the issue as without any sound basis.
The controversy over Dalai Lama’s scheduled visit to the state in November has cropped up in view of Beijing’s repeated claims that parts of Arunachal Pradesh are its territory.
The highly regarded Tibetan spiritual leader is scheduled to inaugurate a hospital in Arunachal’s Tawang district.
Expectedly, Pro-Tibet independence organisations have also asked the government of India to not bow down to Chinese pressure and cancel the trip.
"We sincerely hope that India does not cancel the Dalai Lama`s visit to Arunachal Pradesh as it will really turn the tide in China`s favour," Tenzing Dharpen of Tibetans`
Womens Association told visiting mediapersons here.
"This will be like bowing to Chinese pressure. This will be very unfortunate," Tibetan Youth Congress President Psewan Rigzin said.
The groups claimed that last year, the government had stopped the Tibetan spiritual leader from visiting Arunachal Pradesh but this the time Indian government seems firm on its stand.
The Tibetan government-in-exile yesterday said that China`s objection to the Dalai Lama`s planned visit to the state was like stopping a person "going from one room to
another in one`s own house".
Tibetan prime-minister-in exile Samdhong Rinpoche had accused the Western powers of "appeasing" the Communist government due to "economic" considerations.
On the Tibetan spiritual leader`s planned trip to Tawang in November, which has sparked strong opposition from China, Rinpoche had said, "If Beijing is reacting, why is
India worried?
"Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India and India is a sovereign democratic nation. A person living here on permanent basis for the last 50 years has every right to
visit any part of India," he had said.
Meanwhile, China has voiced "strong concern" over the proposed visit saying it "further reveals the Dalai clique`s anti-China and separatist essence".
"We firmly oppose Dalai visiting the so-called Arunachal Pradesh," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu.
