India on Thursday said it has a consistent policy to treat Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama as an honoured guest and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday greetings to him should be seen from the overall context.
The comments by External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi came when asked about China's reaction to Mr. Modi's phone conversation with the Dalai Lama.
In the phone conversation, Mr. Modi extended birthday greetings to the Dalai Lama on Wednesday.
"The Prime Minister did speak to the Dalai Lama last year also. It has been a consistent policy of the government to treat the Dalai Lama as an honoured guest in India," Mr. Bagchi said.
He said the Dalai Lama's birthday is celebrated in India and abroad by his followers.
"Birthday greetings by the Prime Minister to the Dalai Lama should be seen in the overall context," Mr. Bagchi said.
