'Bonjour Paris,' says Rajnath Singh in France before Rafale handover

Union Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh, who is on a three-day visit to France, tweeted 'Bonjour Paris' upon his arrival in the country where he is to take delivery of the first Rafale jet fighter. 'Bonjour Paris' is a French term which translates to 'Hello Paris'. Singh also tweeted that he was delighted to be in France and that France is an important strategic partner of India. He also said that his visit to France is aimed at expanding existing strategic partnership between both the countries.

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Rajnath Singh's France schedule

The Defence Minister will receive India's first Rafale aircraft in Merignac near Bordeaux on October 8 which is also Air Force Day and Dussehra. After a brief meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, he will move to Paris with a team of senior defence to attend the Induction Ceremony of Rafale. Through his meeting with the French President, Singh is expected to deepen India-France bilateral ties. Sources have also reported that Singh will be flying a sortie in the Rafale Jet after it is officially inducted in the Indian Air Force. Rajnath Singh had also tweeted earlier that he will attend the Annual Defence Dialogue. 

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The Defence Minister will also continue the tradition of performing 'Shastra Pooja' this year in France when he takes delivery of the Rafale. Shastra Pooja (worship of weapons) is an old Hindu tradition where warriors perform pooja of their arms and weapons. Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his days as Chief Minister also used to perform Shastra pooja on every Dussehra of both ancient and modern arms.

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