A delegation of the Communist Party of China (CPC) met senior functionaries of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in New Delhi on Tuesday, a day after holding discussions with senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the party headquarters.
While BJP leaders maintained that the two sides discussed ways to enhance dialogue, the Congress party questioned the timing and intent of the meeting, alleging that China laid claim to the Shaksgam Valley in Jammu and Kashmir within hours of the closed-door interaction at the BJP headquarters.
According to a senior RSS functionary, the delegation, led by Sun Haiyan, vice-minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC), and including Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong, had reached out to the Sangh for a meeting.
“The Sangh has always been open to meeting people from all ideologies and faiths. They (the CPC) had expressed their desire to know more about the Sangh and met Dattatreya Hosabale, the general secretary of the Sangh. It was a courtesy call,” the functionary said. He declined to comment on the discussions that took place between the Sangh leader and the visiting delegation.
This was not the first such visit by a Chinese delegation. After the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014, a delegation from the Chinese Embassy had called on Sangh functionaries for a courtesy visit.
Senior BJP leaders also declined to share details of the meeting, but reiterated that the delegation’s visit was a “courtesy call”.
“Diplomatic activities have picked up pace since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s interaction with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the BRICS summit in Kazan last year. This meeting was aimed at further enhancing relations and dialogue,” a party functionary said.
Arun Singh, the BJP’s national general secretary who met the delegation along with Vijay Chauthaiwale, head of the party’s foreign affairs cell, said in a post on X: “Ms Sun Haiyan, vice-minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China, visited the BJP headquarters today. During the meeting, we discussed ways to enhance communication and interaction between the BJP and the CPC.”
The Congress, however, questioned the timing and intent of the meeting.
“There’s no problem with the meeting. There’s no problem with the dialogue,” said Congress leader Pawan Khera. “The problem is with the BJP’s hypocrisy, duplicity, fraudulence and deceit.”
Several years ago, the BJP had accused the Congress of “undermining national security” by signing a memorandum of understanding with the CPC. Turning the tables, the Congress accused the ruling party of sending mixed signals to China amid reports of construction activity by the neighbouring country in disputed territory.
Khera said political parties across countries routinely interact and noted that the BJP and RSS had held similar engagements with the CPC even when they were in the opposition. He alleged, however, that the ruling party had selectively “weaponised” such meetings against the Congress while avoiding accountability for its own engagements.
“The Indian National Congress expects the BJP and the Prime Minister to tell us, with full accountability and transparency, what transpired in these closed-door meetings,” he said, questioning whether India’s interests were compromised.
Referring to the Galwan Valley clash of June 2020, Khera accused the Prime Minister of being afraid of China. “Twenty of our soldiers were martyred in Galwan. It didn’t affect Narendra Modi. A clean chit was given on June 20. This has been etched in history. Future generations won’t forgive Narendra Modi,” he said.
He further alleged that China’s actions along the Line of Actual Control had continued unchecked. “China has established a massive military presence and created buffer areas. We are tired of talking about the status quo before May 2020,” Khera said, adding that China had continued to change maps, rename locations and build infrastructure in disputed areas.
Khera also raised concerns over China’s role in regional security, citing statements by senior military officials. He said a senior military officer had stated, at the time of Operation Sindoor, that China was openly aiding Pakistan.
On economic issues, the Congress leader questioned the government’s approach to Chinese trade and investment. He argued that while the BJP repeatedly urged people not to buy Chinese goods, it had opened doors to Chinese companies, lifted bans and allowed blacklisted firms to operate in sensitive sectors.
He also questioned the reported meeting between the CPC delegation and RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, saying, “Non-state players should not be allowed to influence state policy. The RSS works behind the shadows.”
