'Haven't received any letter': MP Manish Tewari dismisses report of Chinese embassy writing to him over Tibet event

Former Union Minister Manish Tewari has dismissed media reports about being asked by the Chinese Embassy here to "refrain from supporting the cause of Tibet."

"Neither have I received any letter nor will I demean or diminish myself by responding to such imbecile missives," Tewari said.

The Congress MP response followed a media report which said that the Political Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy had sent an "unusually worded letter" to a group of MPs who had attended an event organised by the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile on December 22 in the national capital.

The embassy expressed "concern" over their participation and asked them to "refrain from providing support to the 'Tibetan independence' forces".

"My attention has been drawn to a report published in an English newspaper today. Neither have I received any letter nor will I demean or diminish myself by responding to such imbecile missives. Had Wang Yi written perhaps I would have considered responding," Manish Tewari said. Wang Yi is the foreign minister of China.

The Chinese embassy's reported response came after at least six MPs across party lines, including Tewari attended the event hosted by the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile here.

Beijing, which considers Tibet as an integral part of China, is known to frown upon the participation of foreign governments and leaders in such meetings.

Chinese troops occupied Tibet in 1950 and later annexed it.

The 1959 Tibetan uprising saw violent clashes between Tibetan residents and Chinese forces. The 14th Dalai Lama fled to neighbouring India after the failed uprising against Chinese rule. The Dalai Lama, the supreme Tibetan Buddhist leader, established a government-in-exile in India.

At present over 10,000 Tibetans living in Dharamsala alone, and an estimated 160,000 Tibetan exiles around the world.

Since becoming President in 2013, Xi has pursued a firm policy of stepping up security control of Tibet. Beijing has been cracking down on Buddhist monks and followers of the Dalai Lama.

( With inputs from ANI )

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