A senior Indian minister has said that only the Dalai Lama and the organization he has set up have the authority to identify his successor as the spiritual head of

The contentious issue is potentially a flashpoint in India’s relationship with China, which has shown signs of a thaw, despite Beijing openly taking sides with Pakistan during the four-day Indo-Pakistan conflict in May.

Union Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju asserted that the choice of the Dalai Lama's successor should rest solely with the spiritual leader himself, reflecting the belief of his followers worldwide amid China's recent statement on the matter.