The Dalai Lama has said he cannot be negative about the spate of self-immolations by Tibetans in China because it would hurt their families.

The exiled spiritual leader said it was best for him to remain neutral on a "very, very delicate political issue".

Around 40 Tibetans, many of them monks or former members of the clergy, have set themselves on fire over the last year and a half, triggering a security clampdown.

"Now, the reality is that if I say something positive, then the Chinese immediately blame me," he told The Hindu newspaper.

"If I say something negative, then the family members of those people feel very sad. They sacrificed their ... life. It is not easy. So I do not want to create some kind of impression that this is wrong."

China has accused the Dalai Lama of inciting the self-immolations, while he has blamed Chinese policies.

Although he has expressed deep sorrow at the deaths and injuries of those involved, he has stopped short of asking Tibetans not to set fire to themselves – as another senior Buddhist figure, the Karmapa, did last year.

The Karmapa, who some see as a potential successor to the Dalai Lama as Tibetan spiritual leader, praised the "pure motivation" and bravery of those involved, but added: "I request the people of Tibet to preserve their lives and find other, constructive ways to work for the cause of Tibet."

Tsering Woeser, an outspoken Tibetan poet and writer who lives in Beijing, has also called for an end to self-immolations, saying it does not help the cause of Tibetan rights.