National: Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju today unequivocally stated that the prerogative to decide the next incarnation of the Dalai Lama lies exclusively with the current spiritual leader and the traditional Tibetan Buddhist institution, firmly rejecting any external governmental interference.
“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 informed reporters, directly addressing recent pronouncements from China that have disputed the Tibetan leader’s succession plans.
These remarks arrive amidst considerable focus on the Dalai Lama’s ongoing 90th birthday festivities in Dharamshala, where both Minister Rijiju and Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh are representing the Government of India, underscoring New Delhi’s solidarity.
Just yesterday, the Dalai Lama reiterated that the venerable institution of his spiritual leadership would endure, and that solely the Gaden Phodrang Trust – the official entity responsible for his spiritual and temporal matters – would possess the authority to acknowledge his future reincarnation.
Rijiju, himself a devout Buddhist, underscored the profound global spiritual importance of the Dalai Lama’s position. “The Dalai Lama is the most important and defining institution for Buddhists,” he affirmed, highlighting his unique stature.
Beijing has consistently maintained that any successor to the 14th Dalai Lama must receive approval from its authorities – a stance that has garnered widespread condemnation from Tibetan advocacy groups and human rights organizations, who view it as a blatant infringement on religious liberties.
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