Dalai, Shah meet cancelled
[Hindustan Times] DHARAMSALA, May 2: The meeting between Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Amit Shah slated for Saturday was cancelled owing to the latter’s busy schedule.
Shah, who was here to address the party’s state executive meeting, was scheduled to meet the 79- year-old Nobel Peace Laureate in the morning.
A BJP leader told HT that Shah left early for Amritsar to attend the Punjab BJP’s executive meet.
“There is no direct air connectivity between Kangra and Amritsar and road travel takes much longer to reach the holy city,” the leader said.
Meanwhile, Sikyong (Tibetan Prime Minister-in-exile) Lobsang Sangay paid a courtesy visit to Union health minister JP Nadda and former Himachal chief ministers Shanta Kumar and Prem Kumar Dhumal and apprised Nadda about the critical situation inside Tibet, particularly the wave of self-immolation protests against the Chinese government and grave human rights violations there.
Sangay also expressed his gratitude to the Himachal government and the central government for graciously hosting spiritual leader Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people for the last five decades.
“BJP government supports the Tibetan people in their struggle for dignity and human rights in Tibet,” Nadda told Sangay, sources said.
Central Tibetan Administration’s (CTA) Health Kalon (minister) Tsering Wangchuk, who accompanied Sangay during the visit, also apprised the Nadda about the health programmes of the Tibetan government-in-exile.
He particularly spoke about the grave condition of Tuberculosis (TB) in the Tibetan community despite the health department’s best efforts and various initiatives to neutralise the situation.
Wangchuk also informed Nadda about the services provided by the various Tibetan health clinics spread across India in alleviating the sufferings and creating health awareness to both Tibetans and Indians.
Earlier on Friday evening, Shah and Nadda paid obeisance at Chamunda temple near Dharamsala town. Both the leaders performed “Puja” at the temple and stayed there for over half- an- hour.
