India has taken a firm stance against China’s claim that it must approve the Dalai Lama's successor. Speaking at an event in Dharamshala, Indian Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju asserted that the Dalai Lama alone holds the right to determine his spiritual successor. “It is a purely religious matter, and any political interference is unacceptable,” Rijiju said. India reaffirmed that the decision would be made either by the Dalai Lama himself or the Gaden Phodrang Trust, his designated institution.