Dalai Lama's Indian citizenship issue in next Parliament session

Varanasi, Dec 19 (UNI) Claiming that ten major political parties of the country are all for honarary Indian citizenship to Nobel laureate the Dalai Lama, the Maha Bodhi Society of India (MBSI) today said the issue is likely to be raised by MPs during the next session of Parliament.

''Ten major political parties, including the ruling and opposition parties, have pledged their support for honarary Indian citizenship to the Buddhist spirilual leaders. A sizeable number of MPs have also promised to raise the issue in the next session of Parliament,'' MBSI president B K Modi told mediapersons here.

''Tibet has already been recognised as part of China and the Government of India now needed to bestow honarary citizenship not only to the Dalai Lama, but also to a large number of Tibetans living as refugees in the country,'' Dr Modi added.

The MBSI, in its last annual general meeting in Kolkata few months back, had passed two unanimous resolutions -- demanding honorary Indian citizenship for the Dalai Lama and okaying a peace mission to resolve the bloody ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka.

''A peace committee comprising spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and former chief of Security and Exchance Board of India (SEBI) D R Mehta were recently in the island nation, where they held parleys with various sections to lay foundation of a dialogue process aimed at establishing peace in Lanka.'' UNI ARS NAB SB GC1825