By The Pulseline News
A five-member delegation of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), led by General Secretary Tilvin Silva, has begun a visit to India, opening a new channel of political engagement between the JVP and India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The delegation arrived in New Delhi on Sunday (27) under the BJP’s “Know BJP” programme, following an invitation from the party’s Foreign Affairs Department. The visit is focused on political engagement, organisational exchanges and discussions on issues of mutual interest between India and Sri Lanka.
Silva and the delegation held discussions with BJP leaders in New Delhi on Sunday, including BJP Foreign Affairs Department in-charge Vijay Chauthaiwale and party politician Vanathi Srinivasan.
Srinivasan said the discussions covered several issues concerning bilateral relations, including Indian fishermen, refugee resettlement and cooperation between India and Sri Lanka.
The engagement is significant given the JVP’s expanding role in Sri Lanka’s governing National People’s Power (NPP) administration and its evolving relations with India.
The JVP, which historically maintained a strongly anti-India position and opposed aspects of Indian involvement in Sri Lanka, has undergone a substantial transformation in its foreign-policy engagement since entering government. The party has in recent years sought closer relations with regional powers while emphasising Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and national interests.
The current visit therefore provides an opportunity for both sides to better understand each other’s political and organisational approaches at a time when India remains one of Sri Lanka’s most important bilateral partners.
The delegation was received by BJP representatives in New Delhi ahead of its official programme.
The JVP delegation comprises Central Committee member Chandrika Adhikari, MP Aboobucker Athambawa, District Committee member Kabilan Sundaramoorthy and International Department member Kalpana Madhubhashini, in addition to Silva.
The programme is expected to include meetings with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, BJP National President Nitin Nabin and other senior political figures.
The discussions are likely to provide the JVP delegation with an opportunity to gain a closer understanding of the BJP’s organisational structure, political mobilisation and governance experience, while also giving Indian political leaders direct access to senior figures from Sri Lanka’s governing political movement.
For New Delhi, engagement with the JVP also comes against the backdrop of a broader effort to maintain close political and economic relations with the NPP Government following its rise to power.
The two sides are expected to discuss not only party-to-party relations but also wider bilateral issues, particularly those involving the Tamil community, fishermen, refugees, economic cooperation and regional relations.
The visit is scheduled to continue until October 1 and marks one of the most visible instances of direct engagement between senior JVP figures and the BJP since the NPP Government assumed office.
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