(TibetanReview.net, Jul07’24) – China’s criticism last year has not deterred Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India from extending greetings to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, on his 89th birthday on Jul 6. In fact, Modi has been doing so for the last four years, irrespective of what China was sure to say to decry both of them.
“Sent my greetings to His Holiness @DalaiLama on the occasion of his 89th birthday. Pray for his quick recovery after knee surgery, good health, and a long life,” said Modi on X (formerly Twitter).
The Dalai Lama is currently recuperating from a successful knee replacement surgery in New York City and has expressed confidence to live to more than 110 years of age. It is one reason why he is yet to make any final decision on his future reincarnation.
Sent my greetings to His Holiness @DalaiLama on the occasion of his 89th birthday. Pray for his quick recovery after knee surgery, good health and long life.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 6, 2024
Modi started greeting the Dalai Lama on his birthday in 2021, apparently to send a message to Beijing in the wake of China’s aggressive moves along its Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India, said deccanherald.com Jul 7, referring to the mid-Jun 2020 Chinese aggression in Ladakh which plummeted Sino-India relations to its nadir in more than half a century.
Beijing strongly reacted after Modi had called and greeted the Dalai Lama last year. “The Indian side should fully recognise the anti-China separatist nature of the 14th Dalai Lama. It should abide by its commitment to China, speak and act prudently, and stop using Tibet-related issues to interfere in China’s internal affairs”, the report quoted a spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Chinese Government as having told journalists in Beijing at that time.
The Dalai Lama seeks genuine autonomy for his Tibetan homeland, calling it a mutually beneficial solution. But China does not want to talk with him on this issue and instead condemns him as a separatist.
Previous Indian governments had very little officially reported contacts with the Dalai Lama due to New Delhi’s overly cautious sensitivity towards China.
His meeting with the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Aug 2010 or his visit to the Rashtrapati Bhavan on an invitation from then President Pranab Mukherjee in Dec 2016 had triggered strong protests from China, the report noted.
So did New Delhi’s decisions in 2009 and 2017 to allow him to visit Arunachal Pradesh, where China claims nearly 90,000 sq. km of Indian territory as its own, the report added.
Modi, who first came to power in 2014, did not have any public contact or engagement with the Dalai Lama till 2021, ostensibly to avoid hurting the sensitivity of China, the report continued.
He also refrained from publicly wishing the octogenarian on his birthday on Jul 6, 2020, even though New Delhi’s relations with Beijing nosedived after the Jun 15 clash that year between the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army along the LAC in Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh, the report added.
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As birthday greetings poured in, including from the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken as well, and celebrations were held by Tibetans in Tibet and in exile, besides in the mostly-Buddhist Himalayan regions, the Dalai Lama has expressed thanks and reassured all that he remained in good health.
“I don’t feel unhealthy except for the slight discomfort in my legs. I am basically healthy,” he said in a widely shared video message.
“I feel a slight physical discomfort on occasions, but that is inevitable, isn’t it, due to my age,” he said.
On his knee problem, the Dalai Lama said he was recovering after surgery and had no problem at all now. He asked everyone to be happy and relaxed.
“There may be people trying to confuse you about my health, claiming that the Dalai Lama has gone to the hospital and is undergoing treatments, and so on, making my condition sound grave. You don’t need to trust such misinformation.”
Expressing undiminished zest for life, the Dalai Lama further said, “I am determined to continue my service to teaching; I am resolved to do so with all my heart. I wish to urge all Tibetans, wherever you are, to please keep making your prayers for me on my birthday celebration.”