Sikkim MP urges Centre to rename border with China as ‘Indo-Tibet’

Rajya Sabha MP Dorjee Tshering Lepcha has called on the central government to officially recognise the boundary between Sikkim and the Tibet Autonomous Region as the “Indo-Tibet border” instead of the “Indo-China border,” citing historical and geopolitical concerns.

During a visit to the border village of Machong in Sikkim on Saturday, Lepcha reiterated his long-standing demand. “I raised an issue in the Parliament during the Budget Session that this is the Tibet border, not the China border,” he told reporters. “The central government should direct the central agencies, like the Army, BRO, they must call it the Indo-Tibet border, not the Indo-China border.”

Lepcha had also made a similar statement during the 2024 Monsoon Session of Parliament, urging the Centre to adopt the terminology across all official communications. His remarks come amid ongoing concerns in India over China’s increasing assertions regarding Tibet and its attempts to control the succession of the Dalai Lama.

He also referenced a recent statement by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, who made a comparable claim about India’s border with Tibet. “Two days ago, Arunachal CM also gave a similar statement, he had told a news organisation that this is the Tibet border, not the China border,” Lepcha added.

The call for a nomenclature shift reflects growing political support in India for recognising Tibet’s distinct identity in the context of India-China border tensions. China continues to assert its claims over Tibetan territory, which it annexed in the 1950s, and has increasingly sought to control Tibetan religious and political affairs.

The debate has intensified following the 90th birthday of the 14th Dalai Lama on July 6. During celebrations, the Dalai Lama reaffirmed that only his institution has the authority to determine his successor. “In accordance with past tradition, the search for my reincarnation and the naming of a 15th Dalai Lama will be carried out,” he stated.

Tashi Tsering, secretary-general of the Human Rights Network for Tibet and Taiwan (HRNTT), welcomed the Dalai Lama’s remarks. Calling them “a powerful statement striking back at the CCP,” he emphasised that Beijing’s claims over the reincarnation process were illegitimate. “Only His Holiness and his institution hold the authority to choose the next Dalai Lama,” Tsering said.