New Delhi, September 12
India appears to be in no mood to pay heed to China’s opposition to Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama’s proposed visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

“Dalai Lama is free to travel anywhere,’’ highly placed sources said, clearly indicating that New Delhi would not refuse him permission to travel to the north eastern state, part of which China claims as its territory.

The Dalai Lama plans to visit the state in the middle of November though details are still being worked out. Last year, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu had visited Dharamshala to invite the Dalai Lama to visit Tawang to inaugurate a hospital.

The intended visit has already incensed China, which claims about 90,000 sq KM of Arunachal Pradesh as its territory.

“China expresses strong concern about this information. The visit further reveals the Dalai clique’s anti-China and separatist essence,’’ Jiang Yu, the spokeswoman for China’s Foreign Ministry, has been quoted as saying.

The Dalai Lama’s travel plans were made public a week after the completion of his visit to Taiwan, which too was denounced by Beijing. He had planned to go to the state towards the end of the last year but deferred the visit apparently in view of the Lok Sabha elections

Observers say a visit to Arunachal Pradesh could once again bring into focus China’s treatment of Tibetan activists and the Dalai Lama’s frequent appeals for cultural and religious freedoms and autonomy.

The visit could also have ramifications for India-China ties, which have certainly been under stress due to recent border incursions by China into the Indian territory. India has, however, preferred not to make a big issue of the violations due to differences in perception between the two countries on the line of actual control (LAC).

China had even protested against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh early last year soon after his visit to Beijing. The Prime Minister’s comments in Arunachal Pradesh describing the state as “our land of rising sun” had evoked sharp reaction from Beijing. It had also objected to President Pratibha Patil’s visit to the state in April last year, which also took her to Tawang.