Khandu wants PM to firmly respond to China's objections on Dalai visit

Itanagar, Oct 23 (PTI) On the eve of India's Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh's meeting with his Chinese counterpart
Wen Jiabao in Thailand, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister
Dorjee Khandu Friday said India should firmly put its foot
down to China's objections to Dalai Lama's planned visit to
his state.

Fresh from leading the Congress party to a landslide win
in the remote north-eastern state, Khandu said his request to
the government is that it should respond to China firmly and
not come under "pressure" and not to be "scared" of that
country.
"Government of India has clearly said that the Dalai Lama
can go anywhere in India. What China is claiming is
meaningless and should be ignored," he said.
Singh and Wen are due to meet in the Thai resort town of
Hua Hin on Saturday on the margins of the Association of South
East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and East Asia Summits against the
backdrop of the war of words between the two neighbouring
countries over Arunachal Pradesh.
China early this week said it was "firmly opposed" to a
planned visit by the Tibetan spiritual leader to Arunachal.
"China's position on so-called Arunachal Pradesh is
consistent and clear and we firmly oppose the Dalai Lama's
visit to the region," according to foreign ministry spokesman
Ma Zhaoxu.
"China is greatly concerned over the news. We believe
this further exposes the Dalai Lama's nature of anti-China
separatism, as is known to all," Ma added.
India's stand is that the Dalai is its guest and he is
free to visit any part of our country.
Khandu has earlier too snubbed China's claim on the
north-eastern state saying, "Arunachal is a part of India,
China's claim is an illegal one." PTI GSN
ANU


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