Sarkozy meets Ashwani Kumar in Paris, remembers former PM Manmohan Singh

Former Law Minister and ex-Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab Ashwani Kumar on Friday met former French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the latter’s office in Paris.

During discussions, President Sarkozy recalled his visit to India and the Taj Mahal with his wife Carla Bruni, and paid tribute to Dr Manmohan Singh, then Prime Minister of India.

In a statement today, Kumar said, “The former French President conveyed to me that France attaches great importance to its special ties with India, and that politics in all democracies should focus on the larger public interest. He said India is a rising power and that the Indo-French relationship has withstood the test of time.”

Kumar was in Paris to attend the Pantheonisation ceremony of Robert Badinter on October 9, at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron. Robert Badinter, a distinguished jurist, humanist, former French Minister of Justice under President Mitterrand, and later President of France’s Constitutional Council, has been accorded the exceptional honour of Pantheonisation — being laid to rest symbolically at the Pantheon in Paris. This honour is reserved for France’s most distinguished citizens, and the ceremony is presided over by the President of France.