Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Wednesday said that India would have remained one had Jawaharlal Nehru accepted Mahatma Gandhi’s choice of Muhammed Ali Jinnah as the country’s first prime minister.

The 14th Dalai Lama, who was speaking at a conference in Goa, said Nehru was a “little bit self-centred”. He made the comment while responding to a question by a student on how to overcome emotions and avoid making wrong decisions.

“In a way, now look back India, Mahatma Gandhiji very much was willing to give prime ministership to Jinnah. But Pandit Nehru refused. I think Pandit Nehru was little bit self-centred: ‘I should be prime minister’, If Mahatma Gandhi’s (wish) materialised then Indo-Pakistan (would have been) united,” he said.

The Dalai Lama had fled to India during the 1959 Tibetan uprising. Back the, Nehru had welcomed the Dalai Lama to India and offered him asylum.

“Pandit Nehru, I know very well, very experienced person, very wise, but sometimes mistakes also happen. So u see responsibility is on your shoulder. Analyse, ask opinion, then take decision,” the spiritual leader added.

He also attacked the Chinese Communist Party, saying, “ “60 years since, there is lot of suffering, lot of destruction inside Tibet. But we keep our determination, the basic thing. The Chinese communist, their power come from force of military, a barrel of gun. Our strength comes from truth. In the temporary run, power of gun is more decisive, in the long run, power of truth is.”