The Dalai Lama on Friday asked Tibetans to avoid sectarian divides and the disharmony that has damaged other religions, reported Reuters. The Buddhist spiritual leader was addressing 2,000 monks and devotees gathered at his temple in Dharamsala to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Lobsang Sangay, the new prime minister of exiled members of the community.

"If you really consider me as your friend, then please be united irrespective of your region or religious lineage," he said. He also criticised the political campaign that preceded the election, one that was reportedly mired in bitter personal rivalries.

Sangay, a Harvard law graduate, apologised to the audience for his rivals' and his failure to live up to the community's traditions of humility and good conduct. The Dalai Lama and Sangay faction want China to grant autonomy to Tibet within the country's jurisdiction, instead of outright independence.