India may have sparked the wrath of the Dragon by allowing the Dalai Lama, public enemy to China, into the conflict awash state of Arunachal Pradesh.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu himself invited the Tibetan monk to the state so that he could visit Tawang, a small district within the state. The area is a historical part of Tibet and under claim by both China and Taiwan. Arunachal Pradesh itself is said to belong to China, according to the super state.
Next door neighbours India and China have long held tensions over the region, with China making no secret as per its wish to annex the area and envelop it. However the people of Arunachal Pradesh, despite having a large Buddhist population and the biggest Buddhist temple in Asia (Tawang), are proud nationalists and fiercely patriotic towards India.
Vikas Swarup, an external affairs spokesperson for India, said:
“The Dalai Lama is a revered spiritual figure. He has a sizeable following among Buddhists in Arunachal Pradesh, who would like to seek his blessings. He has visited the state in the past as well and we see nothing unusual if he visits again.”
By permitting the Dalai Lama into Arunachal, India are not only showing favour to one of China’s most popular enemies, but allowing said enemy into territory China considers its own.
It is not the first such time an instance like this has happened however. China also opposed the visit of US ambassador Richard Verma to the state, insisting America should refrain from getting involved in China-India affairs. China had warned that by doing so, India threatened to “damage the hard earned peace and tranquillity of the China-India border region.”
