Dalai Lama event in Delhi scrapped, Tibetans shift ‘Thank You India’ programme to Dharamsala

The Tibetan government-in-exile has decided to cancel its two main events marking 60 years in exile of His Holiness Dalai Lama in New Delhi.

The announcement comes following the govt sending out a note asking senior leaders and government functionaries of the Centre and states to stay away from events planned to mark 60 years in exile of the Dalai Lama. In its note, the government had underlined that it is a “very sensitive time” for India’s relations with China.

The two events, which were to be attended by the Dalai Lama, were scheduled to take place in New Delhi — an inter-faith prayer at the Gandhi Samadhi in Rajghat on March 31 and a ‘Thank You India’ event at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex on April 1.

Following a report in a leading media house on March 2 it was the first to report on Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale’s note to Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha who sent a directive to the Centre and states the Tibetan government-in-exile decided to hold the ‘Thank You India’ event in Dharamsala, either on March 31 or April 1.

Confirming the move, Sonam Dagpo, spokesperson for the Central Tibetan Administration, told The Indian Express Monday: “The Thyagaraj stadium event has been shifted to Dharamsala now. And the inter-faith prayer at Rajghat has been canceled for now.”