Macron-Modi resume official duties after handshake 'snub'

A video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi — currently in Paris to attend the AI Action Summit — purportedly being 'snubbed' by French President Emmanuel Macron went viral on social media on Tuesday, showing Macron apparently ignoring Modi, who extended his hand towards the French President as the latter walked down the first row shaking hands, and then apparently waved at another dignitary in an effort to mask the 'snub'.

The video showed Macron first greeting US vice-president J.D. Vance before moving on to the other dignitaries. PM Modi, sitting nearby, appears to lean in to shake Macron's hand but the latter overlooks him and goes on to greet others.

Social media had a field day with the video clip, with users on X and Instagram dwelling on the presumed snub and the subsequent 'damage control' by PM Modi. Some insisted on labelling it a diplomatic slight to Modi from Macron, while some felt it was unintentional. Neither the French nor the Indian government commented on the exchange, or lack thereof.

To be fair, another video (posted on Macron's X handle among other places) shows the two leaders sharing a conversation and a warm handshake before entering what seems to be the conference hall together.

There is other footage from the event showing Macron and Modi interacting warmly, and Modi being welcomed to Paris by Macron before the former initiates his famous (or notorious, depending on one's point of view) hug which he extends to all male world leaders he considers important enough.

The French President also hosted a dinner for the prime minister, who posted about it on X on Monday, writing, "Delighted to meet my friend, President Macron in Paris."

The official niceties continued today, Wednesday, with a joint visit to Marseille, France's second largest city and the site of a new Indian consulate which both leaders inaugurated. The sight of them standing almost hand in hand on the balcony of the new building seemed to cheer up Modi supporters on social media a good deal.

In another X post, Macron shared a video of their visit to the graves of thousands of mostly unnamed Indian soldiers at the Marseille World War cemetery with the text: "More than 100,000 Indians fought for France in 1914. Ten thousand never returned. They set foot on the soil of Marseille before fighting in the mud of the trenches, unaware that they were marching to their deaths. Their sacrifice binds France and India forever."

Can this touching message eclipse the sight of the 'Vishwaguru' extending his hand to a man who doesn't even seem to look at him before moving on?