The Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar has joined the call to confer the highest Indian civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna to the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Sunday. Nitish Kumar has endorsed the call by former governor of West Bengal Gopalkrishna Gandhi’s campaigning calling to confer Bharat Ratna to the Dalai Lama.

Following Gopalkrishna Gandhi’s, a grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, campaign article published in a Hindi daily calling for conferring the country’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Nitish Kumar, CM of Bihar has endorsed the call by taking it to Twitter. Nitish Kumar wrote on Twitter that he agrees with Gopalkrishna Gandhi’s call.

“I agree with Gopalkrishna Gandhi’s write-up titled “Bharat Ki Jarurat Hain Dalai Lama” (The Dalai Lama- A necessity for India) published in a Hindi daily,” Nitish said in Tweet on Sunday.

According to the report in Times of India, Gopalkrishna Gandhi’s write-up agues that “Not only the current Union government but all Indian governments have been coy in the matter of the Dalai Lama. Are we so puzzled in anticipation of China’s reaction? In my opinion, it is unnecessary to be bewildered on this issue. We would definitely like proper development of Tibetan culture but we have already accepted its inclusion with China. The problem does not lie here. The Dalai Lama himself does not see Tibet separate from China. He just wants protection of Tibetan spiritualism and culture and its Buddhist tradition. Then, why our governments do not want to confer Bharat Ratna to the Dalai Lama? We happily conferred Bharat Ratna to Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa. What is the fault of the Dalai Lama that he has been deprived of this highest civilian honour? In this, it is our loss, not his,” adding that “Wherever the Dalai Lama goes, world see a form of Lord Buddha in him. Only we don’t see the Buddha in him.”

Nitish in his tweet also said that “the precious principles of love, non-violence, brotherhood and world peace make India an unparalleled country. The Dalai Lama’s presence as ideological guide is very important.”

Former CM of Himachal Pradesh, Shanta Kumar has also been campaigning for Bharat Ratna to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the right Indian right wing had earlier in the year 2017 too launched their campaign for the same. 83 year old Nobel Peace Laureate and Tibetan spiritual leader has been based in India since 1959 following his escape from Chinese invasion in Tibet.

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