Bhubaneswar, January 18, 2013: The North-East Zone Tibetan Parliamentary delegation concluded its 5-day lobby campaign yesterday in Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha. Over the final 2 days of the 5 –day campaign, the delegation embarked on an exclusive lobbying work with the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
Shri Prabhat Tripathy, MLA and chief whip of the ruling party received the delegation at his office. While not only affirming support for the passing of a resolution on the crisis inside Tibet at the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, the party chief issued in writing, a directive to the 22 members of the parliament from the BJD (16 at the Lok Sabha and 6 at the Rajya Sabha) to unanimously support the proposed ‘All-Party Parliamentary resolution on the crisis inside Tibet.’
Strengthening the prospect of the successful passing of such a resolution, Shri Baishnap Parida, Rajya Sabha member from BJD party assured the Tibetan delegates that he will ‘lobby other leading political parties such as the Samajwadi party to support such resolution on Tibet.’ “You cannot subjugate the rights of the people inside Tibet and their sovereignty,” said the veteran leader who claimed that he was a former member of Communist Party of India (Marxist) and had ‘quit the party over differences with the party’s attitude towards the political issue of Tibet.’
A constructive meeting was staged with the Congress leader Shri Prasad Harichandaran, MLA and the chief whip of the opposition party. While pledging the support of 7 members of parliament (6 at the Lok Sabha and 1 at the Rajya Sabha) from the state party for the passing of the ‘All-Party Parliamentary resolution on the crisis inside Tibet,’ he advised the Tibetan leadership to engage in ‘strategically viable actions to remedy the inaction at the institutional level. “As catalyst for the movement, you should highlight the undemocratic traits of the Chinese government that causes the subversion of the democratic rights of the people inside Tibet and China and get the world leaders to act multilaterally to resolve this travesty of justice and foundations of democracy,” said the political maestro.
Former union minister for Tribal affairs, former MLA and current BJP state president Shri Jual Oram, asserted that his party has been ‘consistent with its Tibet policy and in keeping the pressure on the Chinese Government.’ “We will take up the Tibetan cause at all levels—national and international and ensure that there is a swift resolution to the prolonged crisis,” said the BJP state chief.
On the final day, on January 17, the delegation held a press conference at the Myntra hall of New Marrion Hotel, and was attended by an impressive number of members of the press.
The 5-day lobby campaign in the state that traces its name ‘Odisha’ to a Tibetan Buddhist origin ‘Odivisha’ was hugely successful. The highlights include meeting with the honorable Governor Shri Murli Chandrakant Bhandare, Odisha state ministers, members of Parliament, members of state Legislative Assembly, political party heads, intellectuals and bureaucrats. A mass solidarity rally in the city hogged news headlines in the city.
In the light of the gross human rights violations inside Tibet, the situation in Tibet is exacerbated by a brutal crackdown by the Chinese government on any forms of peaceful expressions for freedom by the Tibetan people, thus deepening the anguish Tibetans feel. This year the Tibetan Parliament in exile launched a massive ‘All-India Lobby Campaign’ to highlight the critical situation inside Tibet and to seek timely support of the Indian leaders and people while alongside calling for immediate global intervention to end the crisis inside Tibet.
After West Bengal and Odisha, the 4-member North East zone Parliamentary delegation will visit Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Assam, Sikkim and Nagaland for the ‘All-India lobby campaign’.
