Tsering lashes out at Beijing

Tsering lashes out at Beijing

Amid the controversy surrounding the calling off of the India-China border talks, Dalai Lama’s representative Tempa Tsering on Monday lashed out at Beijing for “politicising” the ongoing Buddhist congregation here saying the Dragon is “so used to suit everything to its political conveniences”.

“His holiness is a spiritual leader and he has already shed his political powers. It is unfortunate that China is politicising this congregation. They (Beijing) are so used to suit everything to their political conveniences. Unlike India, China is not a democracy. There is no law but a dictatorship which rules the country,” Tsering told The Pioneer.

The representative of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader expressed his “happiness” that the conference is being held in India and that there are around 800 delegates including Sangharaj (chiefs) from different countries participating in this. Tsering pointed to New Delhi’s refusal to cancel the event despite Beijing’s pressure and said, “This shows how democratic India is and how much freedom people in India have.”

Religious leaders and scholars from different countries including China are in India to attend the first ever “Global Buddhist Congregation” here.

Incidentally, the high profile speaker list includes ministers from Beijing’s immediate neighbours, which is sure to irk the Dragon. The list has Lin Tsung Ming, Deputy Minister, Taiwan; SB Dissanayake, Minister of Education, Sri Lanka; Lyonpo Minjur Dorji, Minister of Home & Culture, Bhutan; Dr Victor Wee, Minister of Tourism, Malaysia; and Lin Tsung Ming, Deputy Minister, Taiwan.

Dalai Lama is supposed to give a Valedictory address and release a coffee table book on Wednesday named “Sharanam Gacchami: An album of Awakening” in which he has written the foreword.

“I wanted him to release the book at the event,” said Kishore Thukhral the editor of the book and a member of the organising committee.

The Dalai Lama’s foreword talks about how the “world is beset with problems” and how this global Buddhist Congregation gives an opportunity to the people to contribute towards solving these problems and to the peace of mind and happiness of human beings, said Thukhral.

For his part, Lama Lobzan told The Pioneer, “How can China ask for the cancellation of such an event which is non-political in nature?”

Diplomats of India and China were to meet for the four-day 15th round of boundary talks, starting Monday. With the talks’ dates coinciding with those of the Buddhist congregation, Beijing had wanted the event’s cancellation. As India refused, Beijing called for new dates to be worked out. On Monday, China went on to assert that it was opposed to any country that “provide a platform” for the Dalai Lama and his “anti-China activities”.