In a show of support for the Tibetan cause, an all-party forum of MPs has written to the Central government, urging it to confer the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, to Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
The forum also appealed to the government to allow the Dalai Lama to address a joint session of Parliament, a move that’s likely to irk China once again.
The letter was sent by the All-Party Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet, which includes MPs from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Biju Janata Dal (BJD), and Janata Dal (United).
The forum submitted the request to the government after unanimously adopting a resolution in support of the proposal during their second meeting this month.
Led by BJD Rajya Sabha MP Sujeeth Kumar, the 10-member committee has also launched a signature campaign supporting the Dalai Lama’s Bharat Ratna nomination.
The committee has reportedly gathered signatures from around 80 MPs, which it plans to submit to the Prime Minister and the President in the coming days.
“We have initiated a signature campaign to award Bharat Ratna to His Holiness Dalai Lama. Many MPs have come forward and some of them have sent video messages supporting the campaign. We will be writing to the Speaker of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to convene a joint sitting which will be addressed by His Holiness,” Kumar, who is also the convenor of the forum, said.
In Sikkim, the Dalai Lama is revered not only as a spiritual figure but also as a symbol of peace, compassion, and resilience.
Sikkim’s Lok Sabha MP, Indra Hang Subba, said, “I will always support the call for conferring the Bharat Ratna on His Holiness the Dalai Lama in future if any proposal comes. As a citizen of Sikkim and a Member of Parliament, I firmly stand in favour of this honour being bestowed upon him.”
Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama celebrated his 90th birthday, with thousands of devotees gathering in the main courtyard of Tsuglagkhang, the Dalai Lama temple, to mark the occasion and honor the 14th spiritual leader of Tibet.
Political leaders from India and abroad also shared the stage with the Dalai Lama, throwing their support behind the Buddhist leader, who has been living in exile in India and has been fighting for the rights of the Tibetan people since the region came under Chinese occupation in the 1960s.
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Union ministers Kiren Rijiju and Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Sikkim minister Sonam Lama, and Hollywood actor Richard Gere addressed the gathering.
