NEW DELHI – Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday saidthat India’s position on Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama is “unchanged”.
“Government of India`s position on His Holiness the Dalai Lama is clear andconsistent. He is a revered religious leader and is deeply respected by thepeople of India. There is no change in that position. His Holiness isaccorded all freedom to carry out his religious activities in India,” thestatement read.
The reaction by MEA was in response to a newspaper report that cited aUnion government advisory asking central and state government functionariesand leaders to stay away from the Dalai Lama-led “Thank You India” campaign.
However, the MEA steered clear of commenting on the advisory sent out bythe Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha on February 26 at the Foreign Secretary`sbehest – as reported by a daily on Friday – in which he has told “seniorleaders” and “government functionaries” of the Centre and states that itwas “not desirable” to participate in the events of the Tibetan leadershipin exile, *IANS* reported.
The Tibetan “government-in-exile” has planned a series of events inMarch-end and early April to commemorate 60 years of the Dalai Lama`sarrival in India in 1959 to escape the Chinese persecution.
The Cabinet Secretary`s directive refers to a note sent by ForeignSecretary Vijay Gokhale sent on February 22 – just ahead of Gokhale`s visitto Beijing – in which he had requested Sinha to issue a “classifiedcircular advisory advising all ministries/departments of Government ofIndia as well as state governments not to accept any invitation or toparticipate in the proposed events”.