Tinetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Sunday said India was the only country where people of all major religions live together despite “some petty politicians, discrimination and casteism.”
The exiled leader was speaking at the inauguration of World Peace Festival organised by Tej Gyan Foundation at Agriculture College here. “Compared to neighbouring countries, India is comparatively more peaceful. It has thousands of years of history of practising non-violence. As far as democracy is concerned, despite some petty politicians, the people of different faiths are living together peacefully,” he told a cheering audience. “When I met LK Advani, he told me that India has developed as a democracy because of respect to different faiths.”
On diversity, he said, “Besides some homegrown religions like Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism, there are people of other religious faiths who have come here and are happily settled. There is a small population of Parsis settled in Mumbai and they have made a significant contribution to the country.”
