NDA walks out of LS on Tibet issue

New Delhi, Mar 17 (UNI) The NDA today staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha during zero hour, protesting against the indequate response of the government to the situation arising from the violence in Tibet.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee clarified that India had already expressed distress and pointed out that New Delhi's policy on China and Tibet had remained unchanged since 1959 despite various parties being in power at the Centre since then.

''We are distressed by reports of the unsettled situation and violence in Lhasa, and by the deaths of innocent people. We hope that all those involved will work to improve the situation and remove the causes of such trouble in Tibet, which is an autonomous region of China, through dialogue and non-violent means,'' the Minister said recalling the statement issued by his Ministry on March 15.

Raising the issue, Prof Vijay Kumar Malhotra (BJP) said over 100 innocent protesters had been massacred in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa in the past one week by the Chinese security forces which were involved in ethnic cleansing. The House should condemn the incidents, he said.

Mr Ramjilal Suman (SP) said China had failed to provide autonomy to Tibet. The issue should be taken to the United Nations if the ethnic cleansing continued, he said.

Mr Yogi Adityanath (BJP) said China was trying to exert its influence in Nepal also and India's response was necessary to check the trend.

Mr Bartruhari Mehtab (BJD) said India should stand up and ask China to exercise restraint, while maintaining its friendly relations with the neighbour.

As the NDA was staging a walkout, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi challenged the Opposition to send to the government a ''draft response'' to the incidents in Lhasa.

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