Bharat Ratna for Dalai Lama? MPs' forum claims about 80 signatures

With Dalai Lama turning 90, an all-party forum of Indian MPs on Tibet is pushing for Bharat Ratna for the spiritual leader and claims to have secured the signatures of around 80 MPs which it might submit to the prime minister and President in the coming days.

The All Party Indian Parliamentary Forum on Tibet, with BJP MP Bhartruhari Mahtab as its convener, has also met representatives of the Tibetan government in exile several times. Rajya Sabha MP Sujeet Kumar, who recently switched to BJP from BJD, was earlier the convener of this panel, and has been a key player of this group since it again became active in December 2021.

Talking to ET, Kumar said the group has been demanding Bharat Ratna for Dalai Lama and "has secured signatures of more than 80 MPs on a memorandum seeking the same which it would submit once the forum is able to gather the signatures of 100 parliamentarians". Signatories on the memorandum also included MPs from opposition parties.


Hailing the recent announcement by Dalai Lama about his succession, Kumar said the forum strongly believes China has no role in appointing the successor. The forum has also decided to raise Tibet-related issues on several platforms, including in Parliament, Kumar added.

Kumar, along with two other parliamentarians -- his party colleague and Arunachal Pradesh MP Tapir Gao and another MP from Samajwadi Party - attended the 'World Parliamentarians' Convention on Tibet' in Tokyo last month.

The forum, comprising MPs from several political parties, has also met representatives of Tibetan government in exile several times. When six MPs of this forum attended one such meeting in December 2021, the Chinese embassy had written a letter to the parliamentarians, asking them to refrain from providing support to the Tibetan forces.

Meanwhile, Union ministers Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh and Kiren Rijiju on Sunday attended the 90th birthday celebrations of Dalai Lama in Dharamshala. Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu and BJP MP from the state, Gao, also attended the celebrations.

Rijiju said "he (Dalai Lama) is the most honoured guest of India and we feel blessed for his presence here in our country... Dalai Lama calls himself the son of India and is the greatest ambassador of ancient Indian wisdom."