Overall, Indians religiously tolerant, says Dalai Lama

Jaswinder Singh Baidwan

Akhran da mureed
Staff member
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Amid a raging debate over intolerance, Tibetan spiritual head the Dalai Lama today said overall Indians are religiously tolerant, but there are some politicians and some sections of the media who create sensationalism out of “small things”.
“Ninety nine per cent of Indians still are religiously tolerant and one per cent it is possible (to have intolerant people). I believe that. Some politicians may express different things, but that is their individual expression,” the Dalai Lama said.
“Some people in the media, too, create small things into ....sensationalism,” said the Dalai Lama, on a three-day visit to Bengaluru. The Tibetan spiritual leader said a lot of problems were highlighted in newspapers but they were not that serious.
“In India, I feel when we look at the newspapers, there are a lot of problems, but besides that nothing serious - Totalitarian regimes’ newspaper is smooth, but underneath a lot of problems,” he said.
On writers not returning awards during the Emergency and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the Dalai Lama said US President Barack Obama had mentioned Modi as a straightforward and a visionary leader and his visits to different countries has improved India’s image and it is on the path of becoming an economic power.
“President Obama sort of expressed Modi as brother, truthful, straightforward leader with a vision. During his visits to different countries, the image of India and also the economy, I do not know the details, but if you see his own sort of speeches, India’s economy is very rapidly increasing and India is on the path of becoming more powerful,” he said.
 
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