- By Aditya Jha
- Thu, 03 Jul 2025 03:18 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
India on Thursday strongly opposed China's demands of involvement in the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, adding that the decision would be solely taken by the established institution and the Dalai Lama himself. In an apparent strong message to Beijing, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stated that apart from the wish of the Dalai Lama, nobody else has a right to get involved in the holy process. The remarks from Rijiju came after China on Wednesday insisted that the heir of the Dalai Lama must get approval from Beijing. However, the Dalai Lama had clarified that only the Gaden Phodrang Trust will have the authority to recognise his heir.
"And all those who follow the Dalai Lama feel that the Incarnation is to be decided by the established convention and as per the wish of the Dalai Lama himself. Nobody else has the right to decide it except him and the conventions in place," Rijiju told reporters on Thursday. Earlier on Wednesday, the Dalai Lama stated that only the members of the Gaden Phodrang Trust will have the authority to decide his heir.
"The process by which a future Dalai Lama is to be recognised has been clearly established in the 24 September 2011 statement, which states that responsibility for doing so will rest exclusively with members of the Gaden Phodrang Trust," the Dalai Lama’s office stated. However, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that the Lama's succession must comply with Beijing's laws and regulations.
"The Dalai Lama’s succession must comply with Chinese laws and regulations as well as religious rituals and historical conventions," Ning stated. Union Ministers Rijiju and Rajiv Ranjan Singh are representing the Indian government at the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday event in Dharamshala on July 6. The 14th Dalai Lama is the most important institution for Tibetans and all those who follow the Nalanda tradition of Buddhism.
