The Tibetan parliament and government in-exile on Wednesday extended the people of India greeting on the occasion of Diwali.
"Diwali is the festival of light and marks victory of truth, thus we associate ourselves with this festival. I think in India, Diwali is not a Hindu festival but is a festival of India as a whole, so therefore all people who live in India enjoy and are a part of this festival. On behalf of the central Tibetan administration, we wish the people of this great country a delightful and bright year ahead and a happy Diwali," said Home Minister in-exile, Dolma Gayri.
The speaker of the parliament in-exile Penpa Tsering further compared Diwali to a Buddhist festival.
"We also have a similar kind of festival, where we light lamps to commemorate the birth of the founder of the Gelupa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, thus Diwali is close to us as it is very similar in nature," he said.
"The Indian people and government have been very kind to us for more than fifty-four years and I take this opportunity to thank the people and government of India and wish them a very happy Diwali," he added.