Raipur: Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama today (Jan 14, 2004) said India's centuries old tradition of 'religious tolerance' is the "master key" to solve the Ayodhya issue.

"I am optimistic about solving the Ayodhya problem because in the whole world, India is the only country with a centuries old tradition of religious tolerance. Here all religions live together, something impossible in outside world," Dalai Lama told reporters in Raipur during a brief stopover.

"Unfortunately in few cases, some concerned people have politicised and used such issues," he said adding, "Hence after the concerned people related to Ayodhya have shown some positive feeling, I thought there is a possibility of solving the problem."

"But basically India has the strong tradition of religious tolerance and that is the master key to solve the issue," he asserted.

Referring to Ayodhya issue, Dalia Lama said on this issue "too much politics" and "emotions" are involved because of which he was hesitant to touch that earlier.

However, the spiritual leader said he did not have any "proposal or agenda" to solve the Ayodhya issue at present, but said "after reaching Delhi and Dharmashala and having talks with his 'buddhist brother' S N Goenka, some new ideas may come."

The spiritual leader was on way to Mainpat of Sarguja district in Chhattisgarh to visit the Tibetan settlement there. During his brief stop over here, he had a discussion with State Chief Minister Raman Singh about the problems of the people living there.