Nepali Congress firm on 'one-China'; denies Deuba met Dalai Lama's representative

Kathmandu: Nepali Congress (NC) on Friday refuted reports that the party chief and former premier Sher Bahadur Deuba met a representatives of Tibetan Spiritual leader the Dalai Lama during his recent India trip, underlining that it is "firm" on the "one-China" policy.

In a statement Nepali Congress has refuted the media reports and claimed that the picture showing Deuba sitting next to Lobsang Sangay, the Prime Minister of the Tibetan government in exile, during a conference in Goa last week was morphed.

The party said there was no truth in Deuba holding informal meeting with the Tibetan representative as reported by some media.

Some of the national dailies in Nepal published reports and pictures showing Deuba sitting next to Lobsang in the audience seat after the inaugural session of a conference on 'Democracy, Development and Dissent', organised by India Foundation in Goa last week.

NC has dismissed the reports, saying "Deuba hasn't met any representative of the Dalai Lama while in Goa."

The party said that is was always firm on one-China policy and will continue to be committed towards it.

A picture released by NC's headquarters on Friday showed Deuba along with BJP president Amit Shah, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and Swami Tejomayananda, global head of Chinmaya Mission, on the dais.

"Deuba was not aware of who was seated where in the audience, neither did he take note of it," the party said in the statement. Deuba, who was seated in the dais, had left the conference hall soon after the inaugural session," read the statement.

The picture of Deuba, which went viral on social media, was not of the dais but of the participants' side. In the picture Deuba was shown sitting next to the Tibetan representative.

Beijing views the Dalai Lama as separatist and aiming to split Tibet from China. It is opposed to any foreign leaders meeting the Dalai Lama or his representatives.