New Delhi [India], July 31 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Arunachal Pradesh Tapir Gao on Wednesday raised the demand in Lok Sabha to confer the Bharat Ratna on the 14th Dalai Lama, citing his role as a global messenger of compassion, peace, and non-violence beyond his identity as a Tibetan Buddhist monk.
Speaking during the Matters of Public Importance session, Gao said, "The Nalanda Tibetan Buddhism have got the religious traditional cultures of reincarnations in their religions. Now the 14th Dalai Lama has turned 90 years old. So after his death, there will be a reincarnation process. Now the issue is that the Communist Party of China has said that they will have to be approved and select the 15th Dalai Lama. It's an issue against not the Tibetan religion but the entire Buddhist world on this planet."
"It will be an interference with the Buddhist incarnations, traditions, and religion. So I have raised this issue in the parliament that the government of India should recognise the President, the 14th Dalai Lama, not because he is a Buddhist, but because he is the messenger of nonviolence, peace, and compassion to the world," he added.
BJP MP further stated that he has requested the government of India to recognise and award the 14th Dalai Lama the Bharat Ratna for being the messenger of compassion and nonviolence, given that India is a land of non-violence; therefore, the government should acknowledge His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
In a post on X, Tapir Gao shared, "Today during Matters of Public Importance in Parliament, I urged the Govt of India to confer the Bharat Ratna on HH the 14th Dalai Lama ji; he being the messenger of global symbol of peace, non-violence, and compassion."
"This would send a strong message against China's unwarranted claim to nominate the 15th Dalai Lama. Chinese interference will not only destroy the centuries-old spiritual tradition selection system but also the Buddhist religion as a whole," he added.
The 14th Dalai Lama celebrated his 90th birthday on July 6 in Dharamshala, delivering an address focusing on compassion, service, and the Bodhichitta way of life.