S. Nijalingappa,
former President of Indian
National Congress and
Ex-Chief Minister of
Karnataka State, on Tibet
(Inaugural address delivered at the International
Convention on Tibet and Peace in South Asia,
New Delhi, 12-14 August, 1989)
IT is a matter of pleasure that I have been asked to inaugurate
this meaningful convention. We are meeting for some great
cause for a very good purpose. The cause of Tibet is not the
cause of the Tibetan people only. It is a cause for the entire
world. It is for this reason that you friends have come from
many parts of the world. It is not the first time that it has drawn
the attention and concern of the people of this country.
Unfortunately, things have gone wrong in China. With their
long history, all the influence they have been subjected to for
thousands of years by Buddha and subsequently by great thinkers
of their own country, that they should have taken this step is a
matter of sorrow and surprise. Possibly you all remember that
there was an agreement between Chou En-lai and Jawaharlal
Nehru and that gentleman from Ceylon, that is, what is known
as ‘Panch Shila’ (the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence).
It is a first class philosophy and policy that has been accepted
in many parts of the world. Unfortunately, one of the parties,
namely, China, violated it and attacked Tibet. One of the items
in Panch Shila was that a strong country or party should not
attack a weak party. I do not know why China did it. It was
wrong. Gandhiji had said that a wrong step retraced is a step in
progress and I hope that they will also retrace their step.
What is happening in Tibet is military occupation and
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subjugation – people being imprisoned, their monasteries disturbed
or destroyed, their fundamental rights denied and abused. And
they are suffering under this unholy occupation. I sympathise
with them as all of you do. My own impression, my own opinion,
is that the ordinary man, the mass of the people in China,
sympathise with the people of Tibet. It is only the rulers, the
leaders of China, who have no concern for them. Therefore, I
appeal to the leaders and the people of China to retrace their
step. If you go and ask these people of China, they will not
agree with this unholy occupation …
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is one of the finest, noblest and
most spiritual men I have come across in the world. He has
given a plan for removal of occupation, for an understanding
between China and Tibet. Those five points are exceedingly
fine, adoptable. The whole world thinks that it is the only plan
that can be implemented to bring about peace in Tibet and China.
We think that China has its own purpose, its own troubles and
we have seen this a few days back – how Marxist China is
preventing democracy coming up. I am compelled to say this
because the whole world is becoming smaller, thanks to scientific
developments, especially in the last two hundred years. Distances
are being annihilated. Therefore, it has become necessary that
all people of the world should become citizens of one world.
Whatever happens in one part of the world will have
repercussions in the other parts…
And regarding Tibet, all of us feel for them, and His Holiness
the Dalai Lama’s plan must be accepted. I can only appeal from
this place as your friend, as a small man, but I belong to the
entire world. I want to see a world before I die where friendship
prevails. Love for one another prevails. If we go mad, all our
achievements will be destroyed.
I hope responsible citizens of the world will realize this and
therefore I do not want to go on expanding on the subject but
Tibet deserves attention. They are different from China, there
is nothing common except that they are human beings, both of
them. What is there that is common? They live in a quiet place,
far removed from the world, land-locked, away from others, on
the top of the world. They are peace loving, they are not causing
any offence to anyone. I think there was a time, very recently,
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that China accepted the independence of Tibet. What else? They
are culturally different, religiously different even physically
different. It is just because China has developed strength after
they got freedom and after they began to develop themselves.
Merely because the Tibetans are weak, they are small in
numbers, about seven million, now reduced to six million thanks
to the cruelty of the Chinese leaders.
So it is but natural that we from every part of the world will
meet, we have been meeting – it is the fifth or sixth time that we
are meeting. We meet and appeal to them, appeal to China …
Democracy has to prevail. It is thanks to the philosophy which
has been accepted and partly implemented by Gorbachev, that
even Russia is changing. China also should change. It is good. I
wish democracy will prevail at last: at least fundamental rights
must prevail. So I wish China would recognize that they
[Tibetans] have as much fundamental rights as the Chinese have.
Tibetans must be freed from this absolute slavery. That is what
it is. Therefore, I am saying that you will take a decision and
this conference is not only for the liberation of Tibet but also for
peace in South Asia. South Asia, according to me, consist of
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and a country we had
our differences with just now, Nepal, and some other small
countries…
I am glad that the oldest member of parliament, the oldest
parliamentarian has come here and participated in this
convention. I am so happy about it. So you will take the decision
… to tell China to go out, to allow the Tibetans to develop. Do
not have your army there or your civilians – pull them back. You
are going to dump atomic waste in Tibet. Why? In the first
place atomic energy I do not like. The atomic waste can do
harm thousands of years later. There are various other methods
of energy. Do not exploit atomic energy. Do not misuse it. We
can carry on with other sources of energy. And do not have
that waste in Tibet. It is a dangerous practice. So I appeal to
China and also I appeal to this conference, to our friends in
Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh – it is high time that we go to the
right to bring about peace. I will close. We have a prayer in
Sanskrit:
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Shaa na vavatu, saha nau bhunaktu saha viryam
karavavahai, Tejasvinava adhitamastu ma
vidvisavahai Aum santh,santh,santh.
[–Taittiriya Upnishad.]
May He protect us both, may He be pleased with us,
May we work together with vigour,
May our studies illumine us,
May there be no enmity between us.
I appeal to every citizen of the world, to every human being,
to observe this philosophy – Let us live together, eat together,
work together, think together, and bring peace, prosperity and
progress in this world.