A parliamentary delegation of the Tibetan government in exile in India Wednesday said more than any other country, it is India which can play a role in addressing the Sino-Tibetan issues, even as the group's leader asserted that the its administration had "deep faith" in its middle-way approach to the situation.
Youdon Aukatsang, and two other parliamentarians in the four-member delegation that visited four states -- Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and Rajasthan -- in the past 20 days, interacted with reporters here and shared their experiences of meeting political leaders and the public in general in these states.
"We met with governors, chief ministers, speakers, lawmakers and other political leaders in various states as part of an outreach campaign launched by the Tibetan Parliament in Exile this year. All the states were very receptive to the message that we sought to convey to them, particulary the leaders in Gujarat," Youdon, head of the delegation, said.
The four lawmakers reached Delhi on Monday for the last leg of the visit and have already sought an appointment with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, she said.
"We were slated to meet Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia tomorrow, but we have received as communication that he has asked to postpone the meet to next week,"
the delegation leader later said on the sidelines.
Youdon said since arriving in Delhi, they have met several senior political leaders, including Union minister Maneka Gandhi, BJP's veteran politician M M Joshi, Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, and added that they were slated to meet L K Advani Thursday.
The Tibetan Parliament in Exile is the highest legislative organ of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), established in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, in 1959.
"Our adminstration has approved a middle-way approach, which was unanimously passed by our Parliament in Exile in India. I think, what we are doing right now, this is the best step forward," she said.
For Tibetans, the 'middle-way approach' implies not seeking independence but genuine autonomy within the framework of the People's Republic of China. This vision is articulated in the Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People, which was presented to the Chinese government in 2008.
"There has been a stalemate in the talks since then (2008), but we are still going to pursue the same policy. We have deep faith in it. Besides, there are a few back-channel diplomacy efforts that are underway," Youdon said.
She added that Tibet considered India to be the best supporter in its struggle.
"More than any other country, India has a role to play in addressing the Sino-Tibetan issues. More so, what happens in the Tibetan situation will also have deep ramification on India," Youdon said.
The delegation also said that a number of Tibetans have resorted to self-immolation in the Tibetan Autonomous Region.
The delegation had started their visit from Maharashtra on September 29.
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