Union Minister Kiren Rijiju snubs China in India's first statement on Dalai Lama's successor: 'Nobody except...'

Union Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday said that nobody except the Dalai Lama himself can decide his successor. He indicated that the next Dalai Lama will be as per the established convention and wishes of the Dalai Lama. This is India's first statement on the Dalai Lama's successor.

Notably, Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and Rajiv Ranjan will be visiting Dharamshala as representatives of the Government of India to attend the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday on July 6. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism. The current Dalai Lama is the 14th in the lineage.

Meanwhile, Hollywood actor Richard Gere has also joined in celebrations in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh ahead of the 90th birthday of the 14th Dalai Lama. Speaking to reporters, he said, "…Once I went to the Dalai Lama when I was feeling very tired. I asked His Holiness, Can I stop now? He said yes, you can stop when I stop, which is never. This is not a commitment for one lifetime. This is many lifetimes of commitment, not just for Tibet but for the people of Tibet who have been highly abused for many decades by the Chinese Communist Party…"

Earlier on July 2, Tibetan Spiritual Leader, the Dalai Lama, stated that the Gaden Phodrang Trust, a foundation established by him, can only recognise future reincarnations, and no one else has the authority to decide on the matter. This statement rules out any say for China in the process of naming the next Dalai Lama.

In a statement on Wednesday, Dalai Lama stated, "The process by which a future Dalai Lama is to be recognized 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 Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. They should consult the various heads of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions and the reliable oath-bound Dharma Protectors who are linked inseparably to the lineage of the Dalai Lamas. They should accordingly carry out the procedures of search and recognition in accordance with past tradition."

“I hereby reiterate that the Gaden Phodrang Trust has sole authority to recognise the future reincarnation; no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter," he added.

However, China’s Foreign Ministry emphasised that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama must be approved by the central government in Beijing.

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