Rahul Gandhi meets Dalai Lama

Dharamshala, May 23 (UNI) Congress MP Rahul Gandhi met Tibetan Spritual leader and temporal Head Dalai Lama at his palace at Mcleod Gunj, near here, today.

Their meeting lasted 45 minutes. Mr Gandhi, who was on a private visit to this hill town, later visited the main Buddhist temple just outside the palace and paid obeisance there.

He also visited Tibetan Children village, near Dal lake, and met Tibetan children there. He then drove to Narbolinga rest House of the Tibetan community at Sidhbhari.

Mr Gandhi arrived here by road and drove straight to the office of the ''Kashag''. He had a 45-minute informal meeting with Prof Samdong Rinpoche, Prime Minister of Tibetan Government-in-exile, over lunch.

Prof Rinpoche said his meeting with Mr Gandhi was a courtesy call by the latter. He said Mr Rahul Gandhi reached here on the invitation of Dalai Lama.

The visit of Mr Gandhi was kept a guarded secret by district authorities and the Tibetan Government-in-exile. First it was rumoured that Rahul would arrive here by air yesterday. But he arrived by road today to the surprise of mediapersons who had gathered at the airport.

During his visit to the Budhha temple a delegation of the protesting anti-reseravtion doctors managed to meet him and handed over a memorandum of their demands to him. Mr Gandhi assured them he would put their viewpoint before the Union Government.

UNI XC VKJ YA KN2122