A recent campaign pushing for the Indian government to confer the Bharat Ratna upon His Holiness the Dalai Lama has gained momentum across the political spectrum.
The Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honour in India, is an award bestowed “in recognition of exceptional service/performance of the highest order”, without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex.
Shanta Kumar, a member of the Parliamentary Forum for Tibet and former Chief Minister, said in a press report that 200 members of Parliament from across the party lines had signed a memorandum demanding the Bharat Ratna be awarded to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He also said the memorandum had been submitted to Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
Kumar argued that the Dalai Lama had been carrying out a peaceful struggle for the Tibetan people for more than six decades. “His contribution has been acknowledged across the globe. He was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. The parliamentarians have made a conscious decision to demand the Bharat Ratna for him,” said the former Chief Minister.
The Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet in 1959, has since been staying in Mcleod Ganj in exile. His Holiness sought independence for Tibet and its meaningful autonomy under the sovereignty of China until he retired from active political life in 2011. The reins of the Tibetan government-in-exile were handed to the elected leadership. Since then, the Dalai Lama has desisted from making any political statement even on the Tibet issue.
Calls for India’s government to confer the Bharat Ratna upon His Holiness the Dalai Lama date back to 2016 when the BJP MP and Shanta Kumar had demanded the Bharat Ratna for him. Later, in April 2017, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had started a campaign in Arunachal Pradesh for awarding the Bharat Ratna to the Dalai Lama. However, the RSS later denied the launch of an official campaign.
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