India hit back at China Friday, calling the Dalai Lama a “revered religious leader” who was free to conduct his “religious and spiritual activities” in the country, after Beijing called the Tibetan leader a “political exile”, and not a “pure religious figure”. “The government of India’s position on His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been very clear and consistent. He is a revered religious leader and is deeply respected by the people of India. His Holiness is accorded due courtesies and freedom to conduct his religious and spiritual activities,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a regular press briefing. Earlier this week, a high-power bipartisan seven-member delegation from the US House of Representatives visited India and met with the Tibetan religious leader at his home in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh. China opposed the visit and in a statement by its foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian Tuesday, said, “It’s known by all that the 14th Dalai Lama is not a pure religious figure, but a political exile engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion.”