Daijiworld Media Network - Dharamshala (SHP)

Dharamshala, Oct 15: Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Sunday claimed that he enjoyed the freedom in India, even though he is a refugee. "We already enjoy freedom in India. It has been 60 years…one way, I am a refugee, but I enjoy India’s freedom," Dalai Lama said.

Dalai Lama professed, although he tried to get freedom for Tibet while staying in Tibet, there were several hindrances to preserve the Tibetan culture. But, fearing the Tibetan uprise, Chinese authorities posed a threat to his life causing him to escape to India in 1959. Reportedly, former Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru had even offered Dalai Lama to set up Government of Tibet in exile in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh.

Now, Dalai Lama’s statement has come at a time when PM Modi's government is under attack for curbing the space for dissent and political freedom in the country. Some of the human rights groups even believe that the current government has been strategic in displacing refugees by introducing the Citizenship Amendment Bill and NRC.