Strategic affairs analyst Brahma Chellaney on Thursday raised concerns about China’s plan to seize control of the Dalai Lama institution as the final straw in its subjugation of Tibet. He even questioned whether India has a strategy to counter Beijing’s plan.
The analyst also mentioned that if Beijing is successful in tightening its iron hand on Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism, then the pressure on India’s national security will only intensify.
“China has a plan: to seize control of the Dalai Lama institution as the final prize in its subjugation of Tibet. But does India — whose historical, cultural, and spiritual ties to Tibet run deepest — have a strategy to counter Beijing’s plan? Or is a mere statement, like the one made by Minister Kiren Rijiju, all that India has to offer? If China succeeds in tightening its grip on Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism, the pressure on India’s national security will only intensify,” Chellaney said on X.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju firmly rejected China’s claim that Beijing must approve the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, stating that only the Tibetan spiritual leader holds that authority. This came in response to China reiterating its long-standing position that the succession must occur under Chinese supervision.
“The position of the Dalai Lama is of utmost importance, not just for Tibetans but for all his followers across the world. The right to decide on his successor rests solely with the Dalai Lama himself,” said Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju. Currently in Dharamshala for events marking the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday, Rijiju added, “This is purely a religious occasion,” when asked about the political implications.
A day earlier, the Dalai Lama’s official office reaffirmed that the institution would continue beyond his lifetime. “The process by which a future Dalai Lama is to be recognised has been clearly established in the 24 September 2011 statement, which states that responsibility for doing so will rest exclusively with members of the Gaden Phodrang Trust,” the statement read.
China maintained its stance. “The Dalai Lama’s succession must comply with Chinese laws and regulations as well as religious rituals and historical conventions,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.
Beijing has long insisted that the next Dalai Lama must be chosen under its control, a view opposed by the Tibetan exile community and global observers. The Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising, remains in exile in Dharamshala. Though labelled a separatist by Beijing, he has consistently called for autonomy, not independence.
He remains a global symbol of peace and religious freedom. In 2011, he warned that the reincarnation process was at “obvious risk” of political manipulation and stepped down from formal political leadership, while continuing his spiritual role.
