Dalai Lama says charges he behind Tibet unrest baseless

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, said on Friday that allegations that he was behind unrest in Tibet were "absolutely baseless".

China earlier accused the Dalai Lama of acting as the "mastermind" behind protests that rocked the region on Friday.

"This is absolutely baseless and his holiness has made his stand very clear," said a spokesman for the Dalai Lama, contacted in the Indian town of Dharamsala by telephone from New Delhi.

"This is nothing new, China has been saying this so many times and this is actually baseless," said spokesman Chhime Chhoekyapa.

(Reporting by Bappa Majumdar)