Dalai Lama honoured with Democracy Service Medal

Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama was honoured here with the prestigious Democracy Service Medal today in recognition of his commitment to advancing the principles of democracy and human dignity.

Receiving the award at the Library of Congress on the Capitol Hill, the exiled Buddhist leader praised India's democracy.

Citing several examples of his interaction with Indian leaders, the Dalai Lama said, in India there is space for everyone to express their political views, which is very unlike China.

The award instituted by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) was conferred on the Tibetan spiritual leader during his visit to the United States that has sparked a political row between Beijing and Washington.

In his acceptance speech, the Dalai Lama reiterated his personal commitment towards promotion of human values and democratic rights of the people world over.

"Change must come through people. Protection of individual human rights is very important for the development of the society," he observed.

Referring to democracy in India, the Tibetan leader said, "there was a big difference between Nehru and Acharya Kriplanai on the Tibetan issue." Then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru was against raising the Tibetan issue at United Nations, he said.

"I found big difference between Indian and Chinese parliament. In Chinese parliament there is too much silence and in Indian Parliament there is too much noise," he said.