Tilvin Silva, General Secretary of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), visited India under the Indian Council for Cultural Relations’ (ICCR) Distinguished Visitors Program. He was accompanied by Members of Parliament Kitnan Selvaraj and Ilankumaran Karunanathan, JVP Central Committee Member Janaka Adhikari, JVP Media Unit Head Hemathilaka Gamage, and Kalpana Madhubhashini of the party’s International Relations Department. The delegation travelled to New Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Thiruvananthapuram.
This marked Tilvin Silva’s first official visit to India. In New Delhi, the delegation held high-level discussions with External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Deputy National Security Advisor Pavan Kapoor. The Indian leadership reiterated that India would continue to stand as a true and trusted partner for Sri Lanka, guided by its ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’ and the Vision ‘MAHASAGAR’. Discussions focused on expanding growth opportunities for both nations and strengthening cooperation in social welfare initiatives.
The delegation was also briefed on the wide range of cultural exchanges and scholarship programs offered by ICCR to Sri Lankan students, highlighting the depth of educational and cultural ties between the two countries. The delegation’s engagements in the capital included visits to the Unique Digital Identity Authority of India, the National Disaster Management Authority, Gati Shakti, and the Indian Agricultural Research Institute. These interactions provided comprehensive exposure to India’s advancements in digital and physical infrastructure, disaster preparedness and response mechanisms, large-scale infrastructure development, and sustainable agricultural research and practices.
The delegation also attended the Grand International Exposition of the Sacred Piprahwa relics of the Buddha, underscoring the centuries-old civilizational and spiritual connections between India and Sri Lanka.
In Ahmedabad, the delegation met separately with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi. Discussions centered on Gujarat’s inclusive development model across sectors such as dairy production, infrastructure, the cooperative movement, financial technology, tourism, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
The delegation visited key institutions and projects, including AMUL, Tribhuvan Sahkari University, Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), and the International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology (i-Create), gaining insight into Gujarat’s growth-oriented initiatives. They also paid homage at Mahatma Gandhi’s Sabarmati Ashram, reflecting on the shared historical and philosophical ties between the two countries.
In Thiruvananthapuram, Tilvin Silva and the delegation met Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. They visited the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center to learn about India’s achievements in space science and technology, and toured the Vizhinjam deep-water container transhipment port, developed under a Public-Private Partnership model.
The visit formed part of India’s broader engagement with political leaders across party lines in Sri Lanka, reinforcing bilateral cooperation and mutual understanding.
