Amidst 'Successor' Talk, PM Modi Wishes the Dalai Lama on His 90th Birthday
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished the Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday on July 6, calling him an “enduring symbol of love”.
In a post on social media platform X, Modi said:
“I join 1.4 billion Indians in extending our warmest wishes to His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday. He has been an enduring symbol of love, compassion, patience and moral discipline. His message has inspired respect and admiration across all faiths. We pray for his continued good health and long life.”
This is not the first time that Modi has wished the Dalai Lama on his birthday. Last year on his 89th birthday, Modi wished him a quick recovery from his knee surgery.
Simmering tensions
In 2023 too, Modi had wished the Tibetan spiritual leader on social media. Modi’s birthday wish to the Dalai Lama this year, however, comes at a time when tensions between India and China are still simmering over the issue of who will choose the successor of the current Dalai Lama. While the Dalai Lama has said that only the India-based Gaden Phodrang Trust founded by him can decide on his successor, China has claimed that it has authority to do so.
Tensions further aggravated earlier this week, when India’s Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, and Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, said that “no one has the right to interfere or decide” on who the Dalai Lama’s successor would be.
“Only he or his institution has the authority to make that decision. His followers believe that deeply. It’s important for disciples across the world that he decides his succession,” he was quoted as saying.
In response to these remarks, China's foreign ministry warned India on July 4 against interfering in its domestic affairs at the expense of bilateral relations, as The Wire had reported.
“We hope the Indian side will fully understand the highly sensitive nature of Tibet-related issues, recognise the anti-China separatist nature of the 14th Dalai Lama,” spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press conference.
Rijiju had said that he had spoken as a “follower and a devotee”, as he is a practicing Buddhist.
Meanwhile, also on July 4, India's foreign ministry said the country does not take any position or speak on matters concerning beliefs and practices of faith and religion.
“We have seen reports relating to the statement made by His Holiness the Dalai Lama about the continuation of the Dalai Lama institution. Government of India does not take any position or speak on matters concerning beliefs and practices of faith and religion. Government has always upheld freedom of religion for all in India and will continue to do so,” the Ministry of External Affairs’ official spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement on July 4.
'Living bridge'
On Sunday, July 6, while attending the ceremonies honouring the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday at Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh Rijiju, according to a report by Times of India, said that Indians feel blessed with his presence in India, which he “regards as his arya bhumi”. In 2020, the Dalai Lama had said that they consider India their “arya bhumi”, “a country that is highly developed in spiritual terms”.
“Your holiness, you are more than a spiritual leader. You are a living bridge between ancient wisdom and the modern world,” Times of India quoted Rijiju as saying today.
Rijiju had earlier said that whatever decision taken by the Dalai Lama would be abided by:
"As a devotee and on behalf of millions of devotees across the world I want to state that whatever decision taken by His Holiness, the established traditions and conventions, we will fully abide by it and follow the directions and guidelines to be issued by the institution of the Dalai Lama.”
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