Overview
- Vice Minister Sun Haiyan led a CPC team to the BJP headquarters on 12 January for talks on inter-party communication, with BJP general secretary Arun Singh and foreign affairs head Vijay Chauthaiwale participating and Ambassador Xu Feihong in attendance.
- On 13 January, the delegation paid a courtesy call at the RSS’s Delhi headquarters and met general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, with RSS officials saying there was no set agenda.
- The visiting group also met Congress leader and former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid, a meeting the party said occurred at the delegation’s request with government approval.
- BJP representatives described the outreach as routine party-to-party engagement aligned with a gradual thaw since the 21 October 2024 LAC disengagement and subsequent steps such as restored flights and the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
- Congress and other opposition leaders questioned the timing and sought agendas and minutes of the closed-door interactions, pointing to recent reports on Chinese claims and construction in the Shaksgam Valley, while the BJP said the meetings were formal and conducted openly.