Dalai Lama Visiting Tawang on his Own, New Delhi Not Involved: Tharoor
Denying a Chinese report that Tibet spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is visiting Tawang under pressure from India, minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor has said that New Delhi does not deal with the travels of religious figures.
Earlier, quoting a Chinese analyst, Beijing based newspaper Global Times had said that the Dalai Lama’s visit to the area – called southern Tibet by China – was being carried out under pressure from India.
Tharoor told the India Economic Summit: “The Dalai Lama is free to travel anywhere in India… I have not heard the suggestion comes from us as we do not deal with the spiritual travels of spiritual leaders. He has to visit his flock as he sees fit.”
He added that he was “sure that the initiative (to visit Tawang) would have come from him”.
Needless to mention that China has objected to Dalia’s visit to Tawang monastery in Arunachal Pradesh but Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the spiritual leader as “honoured guest” who is free to visit any part of the country.
Tharoor also pointed out that India had been “very generous” by giving more than 58,000 visas to the Chinese.
“As far as our basic policy is concerned, we would certainly be hesitant to offer employment to a foreigner for a job which could be done by an Indian in India,” said Tharoor.
India is currently revising its employment and business visa guidelines. It has asked all foreigners working in India on business visa to return to their country by Oct 31.
