New Delhi, 30 September (H.S.): As part of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) international outreach programme, ‘Know BJP’, a delegation of Sri Lanka’s ruling party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), visited the Delhi BJP office on Wednesday. The delegation was led by JVP General Secretary M. Tilvin Silva.

The delegation comprised JVP Central Committee member Chandrika Adhikari, Sri Lankan Parliamentarian Abubakar Athambawa, Jaffna Municipal Council member Kabilan Sundaramurthy and B.R.K. Madhubhashini, Coordinating Secretary to the Leader of the Sri Lankan Parliament.

Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra, organisation general secretary Pawan Rana, and senior office-bearers Vishnu Mittal, Yogita Singh, Vijay Solanki and Richa Pandey welcomed the delegation.

Speaking on the occasion, Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra said that India-Sri Lanka relations were not merely diplomatic in nature but were rooted in shared civilisational, cultural and spiritual bonds. He said the two countries had maintained deep historical and cultural ties stretching from the era associated with the Ramayana to the spread of Buddhism.

Malhotra said that although the sea separates the two countries geographically, the hearts and minds of their people remain closely connected.

He said that amid the global challenges of the present era, friendship and cooperation with neighbouring countries had become even more important. He noted that cooperation between India and Sri Lanka had expanded across several areas, including economic assistance, energy, maritime security, healthcare and digital connectivity.

Malhotra cited India’s Vaccine Maitri initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic and the assistance extended by India to Sri Lanka during its economic crisis as examples of the enduring friendship between the two countries. He said the BJP believed in building a stronger region through strong and stable relations with neighbouring countries.

He further said that India-Sri Lanka relations could be strengthened on the basis of shared values such as democracy, transparency and public welfare. He expressed confidence that the dialogue between the Delhi BJP and the JVP would contribute to deepening ties between the two countries, while emphasising the importance of strengthening the ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.

Vijay Chauthaiwale and Nakul Bhardwaj from the BJP’s Foreign Affairs Department, along with Delhi BJP media head Praveen Shankar Kapoor and office secretary Kailash Jain, were also present on the occasion.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar