Overview

• Khandu said he will formally write to New Delhi to recommend the 14th Dalai Lama for the Bharat Ratna.
• He argued that the Dalai Lama’s expansion of the ancient Nalanda Buddhist tradition across the Himalayas merits India’s highest civilian award.
• The chief minister asserted that Beijing lacks any valid role in choosing the next Dalai Lama, noting Tibetan Buddhism is not practiced in mainland China.
• He emphasized that the Gaden Phodrang Trust alone will oversee the selection of the Dalai Lama’s successor under established rules after his death.
• Previous foreign-born Bharat Ratna laureates include Mother Teresa, Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Nelson Mandela.