PM Narendra Modi met a bipartisan group of US lawmakers that visited Dharamshala this week and called on the Dalai Lama. The lawmakers, led by House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Michael McCaul and former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, were also hosted by foreign minister S Jaishankar after their return from Dharamshala.
Jaishankar acknowledged the “strong and continued’’ support from the lawmakers for the India-US strategic partnership. The delegation’s visit to Dharamshala drew China’s ire, with Beijing urging the Americans to fully recognise the “anti-China separatist nature of the Dalai group”, honour commitments the US has made to China on issues related to Tibet, and stop sending a wrong signal to the world. Their meetings with Indian leaders will likely raise China’s hackles too.
The delegation congratulated Modi on his election for a historic third consecutive term. “They expressed deep appreciation for the scale, fairness and transparency of the recently concluded electoral exercise in India,” the govt said in a statement.
US team meets Dalai Lama
Earlier, the US delegation met the Dalai Lama at the latter's residence in Dharamsala despite criticism by China. This move signals a potential escalation in diplomatic tensions as the US lawmakers asserted their stance on global human rights issues, pushing for the autonomy of Tibet within China.
“His Holiness Dalai Lama will live a long time and his legacy will live forever, but to you President of China, you will be gone and nobody will give you credit for anything,” said Pelosi, a long-time supporter of the Tibetan cause, while accusing China of not doing justice with Tibet.
Holding a copy of the Resolve Tibet Act, a bipartisan Bill to enhance US support for Tibet and promote dialogue between China and the Dalai Lama towards a peaceful resolution of the long-standing dispute, the Dalai Lama said, “The issue of Tibet is an issue of justice. It is not about a religious or political cause, but about the rights of the people to preserve their culture, language, and identity. The Tibetan struggle is a struggle for human rights and dignity.”
The copy of the Resolve Tibet Act was presented by the Congressional delegation led by Michael McCaul, Nicole Malliotakis, Gregory W Meeks, Jim McGovern, Ami Bera, and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, besides Pelosi. The bipartisan delegation flew into Dharamsala last week to meet the 88-year-old Nobel peace laureate and other top officials of the Tibetan government-in-exile.
The US delegation visit came a day ahead of a planned trip by the Dalai Lama to the US to undergo medical treatment for his knees. However, his office said that there will be no public engagement, including public audiences, of the Dalai Lama during the visit.
