India has strongly opposed China’s claim that Beijing must approve the next Dalai Lama. On Thursday, the Indian government said that only the current Dalai Lama has the right to decide on his successor and no one else.

Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, said, "The position of the Dalai Lama is of utmost importance, not just for Tibetans but for all his followers across the world. The right to decide on his successor rests solely with the Dalai Lama himself."

Rijiju and JD(U) leader Lallan Singh are in Dharamshala to attend events marking the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday. The minister said, “This is purely a religious occasion.”

Dalai Lama’s office clarifies: Only Gaden Phodrang Trust can decide

The Dalai Lama recently confirmed that his spiritual institution will continue after his death. He said that the Gaden Phodrang Trust, which is his official office, will be the only body allowed to choose the next Dalai Lama.

“The process by which a future Dalai Lama is to be recognised has been clearly established in the 24 September 2011 statement, which states that responsibility for doing so will rest exclusively with members of the Gaden Phodrang Trust,” his office said in a statement on Wednesday.

However, China repeated its old position that the next Dalai Lama must be approved by the Chinese government. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, "The Dalai Lama’s succession must comply with Chinese laws and regulations as well as religious rituals and historical conventions."

This statement has angered many Tibetans and followers of the Dalai Lama, who see this as an attempt by China to control a religious matter for political benefit.

Tibetans fear China may appoint its own Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama has lived in exile in India since 1959, after he fled Tibet following a failed uprising against Chinese rule. China still sees him as a separatist, but across the world, he is respected as a symbol of peace, non-violence, and Tibetan identity.

Many Tibetans worry that after the current Dalai Lama dies, China may try to appoint its own Dalai Lama to control Tibet’s religion and culture. Critics say this would be another way for China to increase its hold over Tibet, which it took over in 1950.

In 2011, the Dalai Lama gave up his political role to a Tibetan government-in-exile but warned that his spiritual role could still be misused for political purposes by interfering in the reincarnation process.

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