AGENCIES|PANAJI

“Had Jawaharlal Nehru not been self-centred, India and Pakistan would have been one country,” the Dalai Lama said on Wednesday, adding that while Nehru was gifted with experience, mistakes do occur.

“Mahatma Gandhi wanted to give the prime ministership to (Mohammad Ali) Jinnah. But Nehru refused. He was self-centred. He said, ‘I wanted to be Prime Minister’. India and Pakistan would have been united (had Jinnah been made Prime Minister at the time). Pandit Nehru is very experienced. But mistakes do happen,” the Dalai Lama said in response to a question from a student during an interaction held at the Goa Institute of Management in Sanquelim village.

The Dalai Lama gave the Nehru analogy, in response to a question from a student who sought to know from the Tibetan leader, about how one can be sure-footed about one’s decisions and how to avoid committing mistakes in life.

The Dalai Lama was a key note speaker on the subject “Today’s Relevance of India’s Ancient Knowledge” organised as part of the celebrations hosted by the Goa Institute of Management, which is completing 25 years of its existence.