Head of the Tibetan government- in exile Lobsang Sangay on Wednesday said former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had suggested that he drink hot water daily as a remedy to improve his voice.
Speaking at an event here, Sangay paid tributes to the veteran leader of the ruling BJP who breathed her last at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi on Tuesday night following a cardiac arrest.
"During a meeting, she gave me a long advice on how to be a leader. I asked how come she had such a loud and clear voice. She told me (that) every evening, I must drink hot water with ginger and honey and the next morning I shall have such a sweet, loud and powerful voice," Sangay said.
"It is sad to know that she has passed away. As you can clearly see, she had friends across all the (political) parties," he said.
The Tibetan government-in-exile is ready for talks with China "anytime and anywhere" over the issue of autonomy for the Tibetan region, Sangay said.
He also appealed the Indian government to treat Tibet as a core issue, considering the historical, environmental and geopolitical significance of the region.
India has done for Tibetans what no other country has, he said.
"We have always remained grateful to India and its people and will remain so. What India has done for Tibetans, no other country has done. The Tibetan Rehabilitation Policy of 2014 is one of the many initiatives the Indian government has taken," he said.
"Just as China considers Tibet one of its core issues, I appeal to the Indian government to include Tibet in its list of core issues, considering the historical, environmental and geopolitical significance of Tibet," he said.
"The urban areas in Tibet now have a Han Chinese majority population due to sustained migration from other areas of China. The Chinese occupation of Tibet has made life difficult for ordinary Tibetans," Sangay said. Tibetans seek "genuine autonomy" within China, and not sovereignty, he said.
He claimed that China is putting "enormous pressure" on Nepal to prevent Tibetans from crossing over. The Nepalese government has made teaching of Chinese language in schools and educational institutions compulsory, he added.
Sangay also remembered India's first Home Minister Vallabhbhai Patel, who he said, had supported the cause of Tibet's independence.
Just as India prevailed against the British under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, Tibet too shall prevail and succeed under the leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, he said.
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