President of Tibetan government-in-exile Penpa Tsering, in an address to the Press Club of Australia, said that because of certain incidents, people outside India construe India’s situation in a different light, but that is not reality. “We live in India. I was born in India. It is not as drastic as it’s being made out in the international media…of Modi’s coercive policies. He is not trying to change Muslims into Hindus.

There are some cow vigilantes overreacting to certain situations for which the government gets blamed. I think India is one of the most tolerant countries in the world. So diverse culture, so many religions, so many different kinds of people,” Penpa Tsering said on being asked about India and the ‘Hindutva thrust’.

“Troublemakers are everywhere. Just because of a few troublemakers you can not blame the whole community. I think India is a very resilient country and takes pride in its diversity,” Penpa Tsering said.

“Do you see the troublemakers from the Hindu side or the Muslim side?” Penpa Tsering was asked. “Both,” he replied.

Sharing the video of Penpa Tsering’s statement, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar tweeted, “India is the most tolerant country n most diverse country in the world — where every citizen has equal rights.”

On the India-China issue, Penpa Tsering said, “When His Holiness is asked this question (on India-China dynamics shift), he used to say India is always over-cautious when it comes to China. Now I can say we can remove the ‘over’ part but still be ‘cautious’. Because of China’s belligerence on the Indian border, India has become much more stronger. If there is one thing that we know as Tibetans having lived with the Chinese for so many centuries is to stand up for your values. If you don’t stand up for your values or position, the Chinese will always use you like a pony and keep riding you.”