DHARAMSHALA: Members of Indian Parliament from across the Indian political spectrum consented to raise the issue of Tibet at the ongoing winter session of the parliament. The Indian parliamentarians’ assurance to raise the Tibet issue was a result of a lobbying campaign currently being undertaken by a delegation of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile in New Delhi.

The Tibetan delegation is led by Deputy Speaker Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok along with Lopon Thubten Gyaltsen and Mr Kunchok Yangphel, members of the Tibetan Parliament’s Standing Committee, with Ms Tenzin Choedon, Joint Secretary at the Tibetan Parliamentary Secretariat.

As part of the lobby campaign, the Tibetan Parliamentary Delegation met with various Indian Parliamentarians. The parliamentarians include Shri Sukhdev Singh Dhidsa, member of Rajya Sabha; Shri Bashistha Narian Singh, member of Rajya Sabha; Shri Manoj Tiwari, member of Lok Sabha; Shri. Dinesh Kashyap, member of Lok Sabha; Shri. Rajen Gohain, Minister of State for Railways and member of Lok Sabha; Shri Shripad Yasso Naik, member of Lok Sabha, Ministry of AYUSH; Shri Marpadi Veerappa Moily, former Chief Minister of Karnataka State and current member of Lok Sabha; Shri Kaushalendra Kumar, member of Lok Sabha; Vincent H Pala, member of Lok Sabha; Ram Prasad Sarmah, member of Lok Sabha; Shri Sushil Kumar Singh, member of Lok Sabha; and Shri Shanta Kumar, former union minister, Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh and a serving member of Lok Sabha and Convener of APIPFT.

The delegation apprised the Indian leaders on the wave of Tibetan self-immolation protests since 2009 and the deteriorating political situation inside Tibet. The meetings also included extensive discussions on Tibet’s strategic importance to India from a geopolitical as well as environmental perspectives. The delegation emphasised the need for an urgent resolution of the Tibet issue.

In spite of the heated discussions on the government’s recent demonetisation drive, the Indian MPs met with the visiting delegation and also expressed strong support for Tibet and promised to raise the Tibet issue in the parliamentary session.