Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Mahesh Sharma on Saturday said the “age-old India-Tibet relations cannot be weighed on any scale”. He was speaking at the ‘Thank you India’ programme organised by the Tibetan government-in-exile on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s escape from Tibet.
Dr. Sharma said India and Tibet were like brothers, and there was no need to thank anyone in such profound relations. He said it was unfortunate and painful that the word “refugee” was being used while referring to Tibetans. “You are our guests and we welcome you from the core of our heart,” he said.
Calling the Dalai Lama an apostle of peace and humanism, he said that Hindu and Tibetan cultures were as inseparable as a flower and its fragrance were.
“The Dalai Lama has a great significance for our society and country,” the Minister said.
Shanta Kumar, Veteran BJP leader and Lok Sabha member from Kangra, said that Dharamsala, a part of his constituency, was known as a seat of spiritualism all over the world.
Senior leader and BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav said, “India is not a land of refuge but your [Tibetans’] own land of sacred bonds.”
