Communist Party of China delegation meets RSS leadership in Delhi a day after talks with BJP
New Delhi: A delegation of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Tuesday met senior leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) at its headquarters, Keshav Kunj, in Delhi, a day after holding talks with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership in the Capital.
Describing the meeting as a “courtesy call”, a senior RSS functionary said the request for the interaction had come from the Chinese side and that there was no specific agenda. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was not present at the meeting as he was travelling, the functionary added, The Indian Express reported.
The interaction is significant in the context of the limited engagement between the RSS and Chinese representatives in recent years. During Bhagwat’s lecture series in August last year, the RSS had avoided inviting Chinese diplomats, even as representatives from several other countries attended. At the time, the decision was linked to Operation Sindoor, following which neither Pakistan nor China was invited.
The CPC delegation’s meeting with the RSS followed its interaction with the BJP leadership on Monday, where discussions focused on advancing inter-party communication between the two political organisations. According to party sources, BJP leaders with a significant interface with the RSS were also part of Monday’s discussions.
ALSO READ: 'Modi will never succeed in suppressing voice of Tamil people': Rahul on 'Jana Nayagan' row
The Indian Express reported quoting sources that this was likely the first such engagement between the BJP and the CPC since the BJP came to power in 2014. The last similar interaction reportedly took place in 2009, when the BJP was led by its then president, Nitin Gadkari. Gadkari had also visited China in 2011 as part of an engagement with the CPC, according to insiders.
BJP leaders publicly confirmed Monday’s meeting through posts on social media. BJP foreign affairs department in-charge Vijay Chauthaiwale said a CPC delegation led by Sun Haiyan, Vice Minister of the International Department of the CPC, visited the BJP headquarters, where discussions were held on advancing inter-party communication. Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong was also part of the delegation.
BJP national secretary Arun Singh, who led the BJP delegation, said the meeting focused on enhancing communication and interaction between the BJP and the CPC.
The outreach comes even as the BJP has repeatedly criticised the Congress over its past engagements with the CPC, citing meetings and memoranda of understanding between the two parties.
While both the BJP and the RSS have described the current engagements as limited and exploratory, the CPC delegation’s meetings with the ruling party and its ideological parent organisation indicate an effort to broaden political channels of communication amid an otherwise strained India-China relationship.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Patna-bound IndiGo flight makes emergency landing at Lucknow due to bad weather
Lucknow (PTI): Adverse weather forced an IndiGo Kolkata-Patna flight to make an emergency landing at Lucknow airport on Friday, airport sources said.
According to airport officials, weather conditions in Patna deteriorated suddenly on Friday afternoon, affecting flight operations.
IndiGo flight 6E 6917 from Kolkata, which was scheduled to land in Patna at 3.50 pm, could not land due to bad weather and kept circling in the air after failing to get clearance from air traffic control, they said.
The flight was later diverted to Lucknow and landed safely at the Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport at around 5.15 pm. There were 180 passengers and six crew members on board, officials said.
The aircraft was later allowed to depart for Patna after weather conditions improved.
