A day after China accused the Dalai Lama of damaging its relations with India, New Delhi has denied the claim saying there was no strain in bilateral ties.
“There is no strain in bilateral ties. Our position is very clear,” Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said on the sidelines of a seminar at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses here on Wednesday.
India has maintained that the Dalai Lama is an “honoured guest who does not indulge in political activities on Indian soil” and that he is free to visit any part of the country.
Describing the relationship with China as “complex”, Rao said the rise of India and China was “a source of dynamism” and that despite outstanding issues bilateral relations were set to acquire greater dynamism and relevance.
On reports of China constructing a dam on the Brahmaputra river, Rao said the matter had been repeatedly raised with Beijing. “This matter has been taken up not just once but on a number of occasions with China and China has consistently denied that it is engaged in any such construction activity on the Brahmaputra,” she said.