Amid tensions between India and China after the face-off at the Galwan Valley in Eastern Ladakh and later the "digital strike" , Twitter is now asking the Prime Minister to rename Shantipath, where Chinese Embassy is located in Delhi, to Dalai Lama Marg to irk the Chinese.
For the uninitiated, Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama fled the country for exile in India after a failed uprising against the Chinese rule in 1959. The Nobel Peace Prize winner is a despised troublemaker in China. Chinese officials have vilified him as a "wolf in monk's clothing" who seeks to destroy the country's sovereignty by pushing for independence.
Despite Dalai Lama repeatedly saying that he is not seeking independence for Tibet, China remains unconvinced. “I am always telling Tibetans, it is much better to keep Chinese as our brothers and sisters than consider Chinese as our enemy," he said in an interview in 2019. “We are very much willing to remain within the People’s Republic of China...all Tibetan areas should have the same rights, there should be preservation of Tibetan culture (and) our own language," he added.
India and China have always been at loggerheads over Dalai Lama. India says the Dalai Lama is an “honoured guest" and it does not encourage any of his political activities or statements. China in 2017 had raised objections to Dalai Lama's visit in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, and termed the visit as “provocation” by India.
In 2019, China asserted that the successor of Dalai Lama has to be decided within their own country and any interference by India on the issue will impact the bilateral ties between the two countries. "The reincarnation of the Dalai Lama is a historical, religious and political issue. The Dalai Lama's reincarnation is not decided by his personal wish or by some group of people living in other countries," Wang Neng Sheng, an official in the rank of vice minister in Tibet said.
Meanwhile, Twitter users on Sunday asked PM Modi to rename Shantipath to ‘Dalai Lama Road’. "I request the Govt of India to rename Santipath ( The path of Peace) to ‘Dalai Lama Road’ , on which Chinese Embassy is located in Delhi. Chinese would love to write that name everyday in their address. #GoodNeighbors," said Rtd. Maj Manik M Jolly.
Here are a few Twitter reactions:
