Advani is a hit in the Tibetan community

His talk with Hu Jintao on the Dalai Lama makes him a hero in the community

Leader of Opposition LK Advani has acquired a huge fan following in Tibet and Tibetan refugees living in India, after his meeting with the Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Advani had urged Chinese President Hu Jintao to allow the exiled Tibetan spiritual head Dalai Lama to visit Tibet to explore the possibility of a dialogue to resolve “the aspirations of the Tibetan people.” In response, Hu told Advani that, for any forward movement on the issue, the Dalai Lama would have to accept publicly that Tibet is an integral part of China.

After the tete-e-tete, his office has received a number of mails both on the internet and postal from Tibetans, hailing him for sharing their concerns and raising Dalai Lama issue with the Chinese President.

Though Advani had told the senior ministry of external affairs that he intended to raise the Dalai Lama issue with the visiting dignitary, the topic had taken Hu Jintao by surprise, because he was only Indian leader in the recent past to have raised the matter with a top Chinese leader.

Advani had raised the issue during his 20-minute meeting with Jintao, pointing to the fact that, for five decades, a large number of Tibetans were living in India as refugees. Advani said he believed that if the Dalai Lama was allowed to visit Tibet and talk to his people, a dialogue may be initiated to resolve the vexed issue.

“The Tibetans have their aspirations and the Dalai Lama is considered not just their leader but one of the important spiritual leaders of the world,” he had said.