Days after Cabinet Secretary P.K. Sinha sent a note asking senior government officials to stay away from functions celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s escape to India, the Tibetan leader has been invited to be among the “chief guests” at the Indian Science Congress to be held at Manipur University in Imphal from March 16 to 20.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the event.
A website maintained by the university giving the programme schedule of the Science Congress said the Dalai Lama, Muhammad Yunus, a winner of the economics Nobel, and Hiroshi Amano, who is among the physicists awarded the Nobel Prize in 2014 are among the Nobel laureates invited to the event.
In previous years and keeping with tradition, the Prime Minister felicitates every Nobel laureate with a medal during the inaugural function.
The Indian Science Congress is usually held every January and — since the days of Jawaharlal Nehru — is the first public event addressed by the Prime Minister in the year. This year, for the first time in its 105-year history, the Congress had to be moved from its original venue at Osmania University in Hyderabad because of fears of a student agitation. An official of the Indian Science Congress Association, Gangadhar, said though the Tibetan religious leader had been invited he was not sure of the leader’s presence.
He referred The Hindu to the Congress’ local organising secretary, Arun Kumar. Neither Mr. Kumar nor Indian Science Congress Association president Achyuta Samanta responded to repeated calls and text messages.
Tibetan sources told The Hindu that they were unaware of the meeting of the Nobel laureates in Manipur University.
In the aftermath of the Indian government’s communiqué earlier this month, the Tibetan community has cancelled several events to mark the Dalai Lama-anniversary or postponed them to places outside of Delhi. However the Indian government has maintained that its position on the religious leader is unchanged.
“He is a revered religious leader and is deeply respected by the people of India. There is no change in that position. His Holiness is accorded all freedom to carry out his religious activities in India,” Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had earlier told The Hindu.
