New Delhi: India on Thursday asked the Chinese side to refrain from hyping normal activities by Members of Parliament.
This comes after a group of Parliamentarians including Union MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Jairam Ramesh attended a dinner reception hosted by the Tibetan Parliament in exile, the Chinese embassy in New Delhi had written a letter to the MPs, expressing concern over their participation and asking them to refrain from providing support to the Tibetan independence forces.
In a strongly-worded statement during the weekly media briefing today in the national capital, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "The substance, tone and tenor of the letter are inappropriate. We expect the Chinese side to refrain from hyping normal activities by the MPs of the parliament and complicate situations further in our bilateral relations".
"The Chinese embassy should note that India is a vibrant democracy and honourable MPs as representatives of Parliament undertake activities as per their views and beliefs", Bagchi added.
The letter written by the Chinese embassy to the group of Parliamentarians read, "China firmly opposes any anti-China separatist activities conducted by “Tibetan independence forces".
The letter had triggered sharp political reactions, with a well-known parliamentarian slamming the Chinese embassy for commenting on the matter on which it does not have a locus standi.
Similar reactions were seen from various other political leaders for commenting on India's internal matters.
