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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Macron hits the ground ‘running’

French President Emmanuel Macron with Bollywood actors Anil Kapoor, Manoj Bajpayee and others during a meeting in Mumbai. Mumbai: After landing in Mumbai in late hours of Monday (February 16), French President Emmanuel Macron barely took any time to rest and hopped into his sportswear just hours later for a jog at Mumbai’s iconic Marine Drive promenade, much to the disbelief and delight of the early risers there. Macron (48) was clad in a navy-blue t-shirt, black shorts and wore comfy...

Macron hits the ground ‘running’

French President Emmanuel Macron with Bollywood actors Anil Kapoor, Manoj Bajpayee and others during a meeting in Mumbai. Mumbai: After landing in Mumbai in late hours of Monday (February 16), French President Emmanuel Macron barely took any time to rest and hopped into his sportswear just hours later for a jog at Mumbai’s iconic Marine Drive promenade, much to the disbelief and delight of the early risers there. Macron (48) was clad in a navy-blue t-shirt, black shorts and wore comfy running shoes. His adherence to his legendary fitness routine sure was a high-stakes blend of diplomacy, politics and symbolism that displayed French soft power in the country’s glam capital and financial powerhouse. As Macron jogged and paced ahead with a retinue of hard-faced security officials around him, Mumbai’s early-summer humidity seemed to affect him little. Morning walkers and office-goers in the area however, were pleasantly surprised at the sight of a European head-of-state passing by like it was just another normal day in his daily routine. The French Prez knew this and even smiled at the crowds, acknowledging them with a wave as the locals jostled to record videos which later went viral on social media. Memorial Visit The light morning mood soon made way for a sombre tribute to victims of 26/11 terror attack at the memorial in the main lobby of Hotel Taj Mahal Palace opposite the Gateway of India. Macron visited the memorial with his wife, First Lady Brigitte Marie-Claude Macron. “We paid tributes to the victims of the 2008 attacks. To their families and loved ones and to India: France stands with you. In the face of terrorism, unity and determination,” said Macron emphasizing solidarity between New Delhi and Paris against global terror. At a luncheon, a delegation from Bollywood’s bigwigs met Macron and discussed the cultural and cinematic ties between the two nations. Ordinary Indian became familiar with the marvels of the French capital almost six decades ago through the superhit musical, ‘An Evening In Paris’ (1967). Among those seen were some of Indian cinema’s biggest names like Shabana Azmi, Anil Kapoor, Manoj Bajpayee, Zoya Akhtar, Richa Chadha and Grammy-winning composer Ricky Kej. “Alongside legends of Indian cinema. Culture brings us together,” Macron posted on X, and even expressed interest in deeper film co-productions with Bollywood. Kapoor described the interaction as ‘inspiring’ with exchange of ideas on cinema and cultural collaboration between the two countries, and Bajpayee termed it as an honour. A grand welcome Earlier, Macron, visiting India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was warmly welcomed at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport by Maharashtra Governor Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, Chief Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal, DGP Sadanand Date, Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, other senior officials, and diplomats from both nations. Subsequently, Macron and Modi were closeted in delegation-level talks at the picturesque Arabian Sea-facing Lok Bhavan at Malabar Hill, when he said both France and India can give a lot to the world. “We have identified areas where we need to cooperate more to elevate our ties further,” said Macron, welcoming the recent India-European Union FTA.

Knives out in legislature

Updated: Mar 21, 2025

Disha Salian

Mumbai: Death of celebrity manager Disha Salian in 2020 once again rocked the Maharashtra legislature on Thursday. While cabinet ministers Nitesh Rane and Shambhuraj Desai demanded that Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray be arrested in the case, BJP MLA Amit Satam in the assembly and another BJP member Chitra Wagh in the council demanded that the report of SIT to probe Salian’s death be made public.


Incidentally, amidst repeated disruptions in both the houses, some members from the treasury benches were seen speaking in favour of Aditya Thackeray, while Shiv Sena (UBT) members like Adv Anil Parab were seen supporting the BJP members’ demand that the report of the SIT probe be made public. In addition, there were allegations and counter allegations and personal accusations among members from the treasury and opposition benches which led to heated debate on occasions.


The opposition termed the attempts from the treasury benches to link Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray’s name in the case, as a ‘conspiracy’.


“I think this matter has gone to the court. We have no idea what he (Disha’s father) has said, but Aaditya Thackeray is a mature leader, a young leader. The Bharatiya Janata Party is conspiring to defame him by putting pressure on him. We don’t need to answer to this conspiracy. The court will answer,” Ambadas Danve said.


Earlier in the day, when the house gathered for the business, Minister of State for Home appraised the assembly of the status in this case. “SIT has been formed to probe in the case. Their report has not been received as yet. However, the government shall act according to directives from the court,” the minister told the house.


Another BJP minister Nitesh Rane, however, said that since Satish Salian has levelled allegations against an MVA minister, that leader be treated like a common person and that everybody should be treated equally before the law. Shiv Sena minister Shambhuraj Desai too supported the demand. “Since the allegations are grave, the person in question should be immediately arrested and the case be investigated,” he said.


Later, while speaking to media in the legislature premises, Rane asked Uddhav Thackeray to come clean on the issue. “If they say that we are politicizing the issue, Uddhav Thackeray should also tell the people why he had called, not just once but twice, to the then union minister Narayan Rane urging him to save his son?” Rane said.


He also accused the opposition of shying away from coming clean on the issue. “If they feel that we are not telling the truth, they should say so in the house. But they are shying away from doing so. Bhaskar Jadhav, who is always aggressive, was nowhere to be seen when this issue came up in the house. Sunil Prabhu too escaped the house under the pretext of a phone call. I challenge them to say that whatever I said on the issue is wrong,” Rane said.


He also said that Aditya Thackeray should resign on moral grounds till his name is cleared in the case.


BJP MLA Amit Satam demanded that the details of the SIT probe be made public so that the people would know if the probe is headed in right direction.


Interestingly, while the ruling parties were targeting the opposition in the case, senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar surprised all with his unexpected support to Thackerays. “I do not have any evidences in the case. But if her father has made any fresh allegations that needs to be investigated thoroughly. The assembly can discuss the issue at length tomorrow. In the meanwhile, members like Rane, who seem to have some evidences in the case should hand them over to the investigating agencies and help the probe,” he told the house.


Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Gaikwad and Sheetal Mhatre too toed the line and demanded that more and more evidences should come forth.


Similarly, when members of treasury benches were pushing for revealing the details of the probe till date to the public, Shiv Sena (UBT) member Anil Parab supported the demand. “Doing that shall conclusively prove the innocence of Aditya Thackeray,” he said.

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