The head of Tibet's government-in-exile has insisted that the Dalai Lama was only showing his 'innocent grandfatherly affectionate demeanour' in a video where he asked a young boy to suck his tongue. Earlier this week, Dalai Lama tendered an apology after he was seen in video footage from a public event kissing a young Indian boy on the lips before asking him to 'suck' his tongue.
Penpa Tsering, 56, the political leader of the exiled Central Tibetan Administration, said on Thursday that the spiritual leader had been 'unfairly labelled with all kinds of names that really hurt the sentiment of all his followers'. The 87-year-old's demeanor, shown in the footage, had been misinterpreted, Tsering told reporters in New Delhi, adding that a life of celibacy and spiritual practice had taken the Dalai Lama 'beyond the sensorial pleasures'. Tsering said investigations showed that 'pro-Chinese sources' were involved in making the video go viral, adding that 'the political angle of this incident cannot be ignored'. In the video, the boy asks the Dalai Lama 'can I hug you?', to which Tenzin Gyatso responds: 'Okay come!'
The spiritual leader first asked the boy to kiss him on the cheek, before pointing at his lips. He held the boy's face as they appeared to briefly kiss, then the pair pressed their foreheads together. The Dalai Lama then added: 'And suck my tongue.' Before letting the child go, the Dalai Lama imparted some wisdom, telling him to 'look to those good human beings who create peace, happiness' and not to 'follow those human beings who always kill other people'. Some supporters of the Dalai Lama jumped to his defence, claiming their leader was simply 'joking around'. But the clip sparked outrage on social media, with commentators branding the Dalai Lama's actions 'scandalous', 'disgusting', and 'absolutely sick'.