NEW DELHI, July 8: A senior member of the All Party Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet has called for global recognition of the institution of the Dalai Lama and its right to independently choose his successor, amid China’s growing assertion that it alone holds the authority to approve the next Dalai Lama.
The appeal was made by BJP MP Tapir Gao, a three-time Lok Sabha member from Arunachal East and co-convenor of the Forum, which comprises parliamentarians from across political parties, including the BJP, Congress, and Trinamool Congress. Gao reiterated that the selection of the next Dalai Lama is a spiritual and cultural matter internal to Tibetan Buddhism and that China has no role in it.
Speaking on the heels of the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday celebrations on July 6, Gao highlighted the Forum’s long-standing support for the Tibetan spiritual leader. “The institution of the Dalai Lama is rooted in religious and cultural traditions of Tibetan Buddhists. China has absolutely no role in the matter. The world should recognise it,” he said.
The Forum had earlier, in its March 2025 meeting, called for conferring the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, on the Dalai Lama in recognition of his contributions to peace, compassion, and universal brotherhood. Over 80 MPs have endorsed the demand.
Tapir Gao said he has also raised the issue in the Lok Sabha, urging the Indian government to formally acknowledge the Dalai Lama’s global spiritual influence and his lifelong advocacy for non-violence and Tibetan autonomy.
The Dalai Lama, the supreme spiritual and temporal leader of Tibetan Buddhists, has earlier made it clear that the Gaden Phodrang Trust, founded in 2015 by his office, will be the sole authority to identify and recognise his reincarnation. He has rejected China’s claim to any role in this religious tradition.
The latest remarks come as tensions continue between China and the Tibetan exile community, with Beijing maintaining that it will oversee the appointment of the next Dalai Lama. However, the Tibetan spiritual leader and his followers have long argued that this is an internal religious matter, not subject to state control.
On Sunday, thousands gathered at the Tsuglagkhang temple in McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala — the Dalai Lama’s residence in exile — to celebrate his 90th birthday. Global greetings poured in from spiritual and political leaders, many of whom shared the stage with him in a show of solidarity.
