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Amritsar: The Dalai Lama said on Tuesday the Tibetan people would hold a referendum before he dies to decide whether a new system of leadership would better serve them in their struggle for self-determination.
China has ruled Tibet with a heavy hand since a 1951 invasion and angrily condemned the Dalai Lama's proposal, saying it subverted centuries of Buddhist tradition. Just what form the referendum will take was not immediately clear, but the Buddhist leader, who won the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, proposed what could be a major change in the centuries-old system to choose the spiritual and political head of the Tibetans.
"If people feel that the institution of the Dalai Lama is still necessary, it will continue," he told reporters during a gathering of religious leaders from around the world in the northern Indian city of Amritsar.
No timeframe
"When my physical condition becomes weak, and there are serious preparations for death, then this event should happen," he said referring to the referendum but gave no timeframe for the vote, adding that "according to my regular medical checkup, I am good for another few decades."
The Dalai Lama is 72.
"The Dalai Lama's statement is in blatant violation of religious practice and historical procedure," said the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
For centuries, the search for the reincarnation of religious leaders, known as lamas, has been carried out by Tibetan monks following the leaders' deaths.
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