(TibetanReview.net, Sep25’21) – A delegation of the Estimates Committee of the 17th Lok Sabha (the Lower House of Indian Parliament) has visited the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) at Dharamsala on Sep 24. However, there was no Tibetan parliament in Exile (TPiE) delegation to receive it because 22 elected candidates had so far refused to take their oath of office even after more than three months of being invited to do so.
The TPiE needs the presence of at least 30 of its total strength of 45 members to be functional, but so far only 22 have taken their oath of office.
The delegation of 8 members was received by Sikyong Penpa Tsering who led it on a tour of the Tibetan parliament and briefed the members on its legislative functions; he also arranged a cultural tour programme for the visitors, said the CTA on its Tibet.net website Sep 24.
In his address, Sikyong by Penpa Tsering has expressed gratitude to the successive governments of India from first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru onwards for sheltering and rehabilitating the Tibetan people and for their relentless support.
Delegation leader Mr PP Chaudhary has said he was pleased to know that the Tibetan people had been able to preserve their distinct culture and spiritual traditions under the leadership of HH the Dalai Lama. He has said the benevolence of His Holiness and his message of non-violence, peace, and compassion was the driving force for his government’s help and support to the Tibet cause.
He was reported to have lauded the unique Tibetan democratic governance system and referred to the historicity of the Indo-Tibet ties.
