Dharamsala (Himachal Pradesh), March 18 (IANS) Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama Tuesday said that he would resign if the violence in his homeland went out of control. “If things go out of control, then resignation is the only option,” he told reporters.

The leader denied allegations that he was behind the violence in Tibet, which has left many dead in the past week.

“The movement in Tibet is beyond our control,” the Dalai Lama asserted.

He said he was not in a position to tell Tibetan protesters living under Chinese rule “to do this or not do that”.

The Dalai Lama said that the Chinese were free to come to Dharamsala and investigate whether he had a hand in the violence in Tibet.

Observers say he may resign as political leader and head of the Tibetan government-in-exile and not as the Dalai Lama.

Dalai’s Lama’s remarks come barely hours after Chinese premier Wen Jiabao accused him of inciting violence in Tibet.

The premier said that the Dalai Lama’s allegations that “China was committing cultural genocide in Tibet were lies”.

Anti-China protests in Tibet began a week ago on the 49th anniversary of the uprising against Chinese rule. Security forces suppressed it violently after protesters, including monks, attacked government property in Lhasa.

There have been conflicting reports of the exact number of casualties in the ongoing crackdown. While Chinese authorities claim only 10 have died, the Tibetan government-in-exile puts the toll at nearly 80 killed.

The Dalai Lama, along with many Tibetans, fled Tibet in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule. The leader has a government-in-exile based here.