Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the Bastille Day celebrations in France as a guest of honour alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, with an Indian tri-services marching contingent wowing crowds during the French National Day celebrations. The French National Day, or Bastille Day, occupies a special place in the French consciousness as it commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison during the French Revolution in 1789. The Bastille Day parade is the highlight of the celebrations.
French First Lady Brigitte Macron and France's PM Élisabeth Borne received Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he arrived at Champs-Elysees for the Bastille Day celebration. The prime minister, who is in France for a two-day official visit, was accorded a red-carpet welcome on Thursday. He became the first Indian premier to have been conferred with the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, France's highest civilian and military honour, by French President Emmanuel Macron.
"It is with great humility that I accept the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor. This is an honour for the 140 crore people of India. I thank President @EmmanuelMacron , the French Government and people for this gesture. It shows their deep affection towards India and resolve for furthering friendship with our nation," Modi tweeted.
After attending the Bastille Day parade, Modi is expected to meet the president of the French National Assembly Yael Braun-Pivet and attend a series of interactions with thought leaders and businesspeople. Official sources quoted by PTI said that it is uncommon for foreign leaders to be invited as guests of honour on the Bastille Day and the last time it was done was in 2017 when former US president Donald Trump was invited. "Even rarer is having foreign marching contingents and foreign aircraft participate in it," an official said.
A 269-member Indian tri-services contingent participated in the parade. Three Rafale fighter jets of the Indian Air Force (IAF) also joined the flypast on the occasion along with French jets. Marching to the tune of 'saare jahan se achcha', the 269-member Indian tri-services contingent participated in the parade and joined the flypast. Prime Minister Modi saluted the Indian contingent as it passed the dais where Macron, he and other dignitaries were seated.
