"fully aware of the Tibet-related issues" and to recognise the "anti-separatist nature" of the 14th Dalai Lama

Rijiju Rejects China’s Authority on Dalai Lama’s Successor: 'Only Dalai Lama Can Decide'

Union Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Friday stated that the devotees of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama want his successor to be chosen by the Dalai Lama himself.

Speaking to the media, he said, “...I am a devotee of the Dalai Lama. Anybody in the world who follows the Dalai Lama wants his successor to be chosen by the Dalai Lama himself.”

Rijiju’s remarks came after China reiterated its claim of having the final say in major Tibetan religious appointments.

According to a report by Financial Express, China has urged India to be "fully aware of the Tibet-related issues" and to recognise the "anti-separatist nature" of the 14th Dalai Lama. In response to Rijiju’s rejection of Beijing’s authority over the Dalai Lama’s succession, China’s foreign ministry maintained that it "hopes the Indian side will be fully aware of the Tibet-related issues" and respect its stance on such appointments.

On July 2, just days ahead of his 90th birthday, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama had issued a strong statement affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue and that the Gaden Phodrang Trust holds the sole authority to recognise his future reincarnation.

Referring to an earlier statement he made in 1969, he said that upon turning 90, he would consult relevant stakeholders to re-evaluate whether the institution should continue. He stated that people across the world — including Tibetans inside Tibet — have consistently urged him to preserve the institution. Therefore, he declared that the institution will continue.

His Holiness emphasized, “The process by which a future Dalai Lama is to be recognized has been clearly established in the 24 September 2011 statement, which states that responsibility for doing so will rest exclusively with members of the Gaden Phodrang Trust, the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. They should consult the various heads of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions and the reliable oath-bound Dharma Protectors who are linked inseparably to the lineage of the Dalai Lamas. They should accordingly carry out the procedures of search and recognition in accordance with past tradition.”

He added unequivocally, “I hereby reiterate that the Gaden Phodrang Trust has sole authority to recognize the future reincarnation; no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter.”

The statement was shared in both video and written form on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday. In the video, His Holiness can be seen reading the statement aloud.

The message was issued just days ahead of the 15th Tibetan Religious Conference, adding significant weight to the discourse around the spiritual succession of the Dalai Lama.

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