Indians express solidarity with Tibetans
Sheela Bhatt in New Delhi | March 22, 2008 | 18:58 IST
In a significant development, local Indians living in and around Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday extended their moral and political support to Tibetan refugees living in their area for the last 49 years under the leadership of the Dalai Lama.
Talking to rediff.com, Prem Sagar of Himalaya Pariwar said, "We want to express our solidarity with Tibetan community. We believe that the philosophy of the Dalai Lama is admirable. His solution for Tibet known as 'middle path approach' is the right solution and is workable".
According to him, local businessmen's organisations, taxmen's union, Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh-backed Bharat-Tibet Sahyong Manch, Indo-Tibet Friendship Society and many other local outfits have joined the Tibetan refugees, who are protesting the Chinese government's repressive policy against Tibetan protestors in Lhasa.
Indians and Tibetans took out a huge rally in Dharamshala. Shops and bazaars of the entire area remained closed to express solidarity towards Tibetans.
Asked if Indian support to the Tibetan cause would be construed as 'anti-China' activity in India, Sagar staunchly denied any such presumption. "The solution of Tibet is possible only by following the Dalai Lama's policy of 'middle path'. We believe that the Dalai Lama is not asking for the freedom of Tibet; he is fighting for autonomy of Tibet while remaining within China. We believe that if China solves the issue of Tibet, it will be a great benefit to Tibetans, Chinese and Indians".
Interestingly, on March 20, the RSS Sarsanghachalak K S Sudershan issued a strongly worded press release against the 'barbarous and inhuman atrocities perpetrated' in Tibet by the People's Republic of China.
"The barbarous and inhuman atrocities perpetrated on the peaceful Tibetan protesters in Lhasa and other towns of Tibet by the Communist regime in China have shocked all the sensitive hearts the world over. Swami Vivekananda had said in the last decade of the 19th century � 'The Chinese Dragon is asleep. Let it remain so. The day it will wake up, it will bring disaster over the whole world'. That prophecy has become a reality today," Sudershan said.
The RSS also alleged, "The Dragon's bloody claws are menacingly hovering over our Arunachal Pradesh. China's ghastly intentions for Nepal have also become very explicit. Against this backdrop, these demonstrations have completely betrayed the hollowness of Chinese claims that under her occupation, Tibet has witnessed all-round development and the people are happy with the regime. To conceal the truth, China has no other option except to take recourse to atrocities to smother the voice of dissent. However, all such efforts to hide the truth have never been successful in past".
Sudershan also protested strongly against the 'intemperate and foul language' used by China against the Dalai Lama. He said the Dalai Lama is 'an epitome of equanimity and composure'.
"What else can be expected from a rude and uncivil Communist China?" he said.
The RSS, from the beginning, has been considering Tibet as the most essential factor for the security of India, said the press release.
The RSS chief said, "Therefore, in this hour of crisis, the RSS is fully supporting the Tibetan cause of protecting her self identity and urges the people the world over to exert such pressure over the Government of China that it is forced to come to the negotiating table to find a peaceful solution to the Tibetan crisis".
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