'Who is China to tell us what to do': BJD MP over letter on attending Tibetan Parliament-in-exile event

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Sujeet Kumar has slammed the Chinese embassy over its letter to a group of MPs for attending a dinner reception hosted by Tibetan Parliament-in-exile and said it does not "deserve our comment and concern" and should be treated with "the contempt it deserves".

Sujeet Kumar, convenor of the All-Party Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet who was among the parliamentarians who attended the event, asked, "who is China to tell us what is right, what to do, what to say what not to say."

He said China "tries to intimidate and also try to present a good face".

"I have not received the letter but I have seen apparently the letter sent to some MPs that is typical Chinese behaviour. They try to intimidate and also try to present a good face. Let's treat the letter with the contempt it deserves. It doesn't deserve our comment and concern. Who is China to tell us what is right, what to do, what to say what not to say," Sujeet Kumar told ANI.

"We are a free nation. Freedom of speech and expression is given to us by our constitution so who is the Chinese ambassador or the Chinese diplomat and China to tell us what to do, who to meet, what not to do," he added.

Kumar said the Narendra Modi government has taken a tough stand against China but more should be done.

"I must acknowledge that this government has been far bolder in dealing with China than the previous ones and I must compliment the Prime Minister and his team for taking a tough stand against China. But as I have said we need a tougher stand, though we have been able to stand up against the Chinese after a long time. I think a lot more should be done," he said.

Earlier Chinese Embassy in Delhi has expressed "concern" and hoped that parliamentarians would "refrain from providing support to the 'Tibetan independence' forces".

The MPs who attended the event included Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Sujeet Kumar, BJP's Maneka Gandhi, Congress MPs Jairam Ramesh and Manish Tewari.

Addressing the MPs, Zhou Yongsheng, Political Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Delhi in the letter said: "You are a senior politician who know the China-India relations well. It is hoped that you could understand the sensitivity of the issue and refrain from providing support to the "Tibetan independence" forces, and make contributions to China-India bilateral relations."

Reacting to it Tenzin Lekshay, the spokesperson of the Tibetan government-in-exile, slammed China.

"India's constant solidarity for Tibet makes China uneasy. As for the All Party Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet, it was initiated by Shri MC Chagla in 1970 and now chaired by BJD MP Sujeet Kumar. Many great Indian leaders supported Tibet in the past, & many more support now," he said in a tweet.

( With inputs from ANI )

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