Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives in New Delhi for a two-day visit starting Thursday and the Congress turned the spotlight on a moment from 70 years ago that helped define the early course of India’s foreign policy.
“These ties go back even longer,” Jairam Ramesh, the Congress general secretary in-charge communications, wrote in a post on X (formerly twitter) pointing to the India visit of Soviet leaders Nikolai Bulganin and Nikita Khrushchev in 1955.
“Exactly 70 years ago the top two leaders of the USSR came to India. Nikolai Bulganin and Nikita Khrushchev were here for an extraordinary 19 days: from November 18 to 30, 1955, and again from Dec 7 to 14, 1955. This followed Jawaharlal Nehru's journey to the USSR six months earlier,” Ramesh wrote.
That tour, he said, set the stage for cooperation that shaped early industrial and strategic projects.
“The Bulganin-Khrushchev visit established the foundations of close Indo-Soviet collaboration of which the Bhilai Steel Plant and IIT Bombay were only two of the early examples,” Ramesh said.
“A few years later MiG aircraft came to be manufactured by HAL with technology transfer. This visit also helped shape the future of ONGC and many other public sector companies like IDPL that, in turn, spawned private enterprises,” he added.
Ramesh placed the evolution of ties in a single line: “The India-Russia relationship is the direct outcome and continuation of the Indo-Soviet partnership cemented for the first time in the second half of 1955.”
He shared several archival videos documenting the Soviet delegation’s journey across India, from public gatherings in Coimbatore to receptions in Delhi and stops in Pune, Bangalore, Madras and at the Raj Bhavan.
One video shows Bulganin and Khrushchev travelling through southern India, addressing a rally in Coimbatore, receiving a civic reception in Bangalore, meeting the governor and chief minister in Madras, and attending a cultural programme at the Raj Bhavan.
Another documents their departure after “some three weeks in India – during which they have surprised the world with their unpredictable progress.”
A third video features a civic reception in Delhi where Nehru accompanied them.
Another clip captures the two leaders placing a wreath at the Gandhi memorial, crowds lining the streets, banners reading “Long Live Bulganin and Kruschev,” and a decorated motorcade route with a sign that read “Welcome” in Russian.
The Congress leader’s comments come as India prepares to host Putin at a time when New Delhi’s relations with Washington have faced strain.
The government is expected to use the summit to reinforce defence cooperation, stabilise bilateral trade channels and explore prospects in areas such as small modular reactors.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host a private dinner for Putin shortly after his arrival on Thursday. On Friday, the Russian president will receive a ceremonial welcome before formal talks at Hyderabad House.
Modi will also host a working lunch for Putin and his delegation. The Russian president will visit Rajghat in the morning. After the summit, Putin will launch the new India channel of the Russian state-run broadcaster.
A state banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu will close the visit. Putin is scheduled to depart at around 9:30pm on Friday, wrapping up roughly 28 hours in India.
