PM Modi notices Indian flag on floor at BRICS 2023; here's what he did next
Viral video: During a photoshoot during the BRICS summit in Johannesburg on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was careful not to step on the Indian flag.
On stage, the position of each country's leader was denoted with a national flag. In a video, Prime Minister Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa approach their respective positions. The flag is picked up by the Prime Minister and placed in his jacket pocket.
The action was spotted and picked up by South Africa's president, who had previously stepped over his country's flag. He then passed it to a colleague. The woman volunteered to take the flag from Prime Minister Modi, who looked to gesture that he would prefer to keep it.
The Prime Minister is in South Africa for a BRICS summit, which includes India, Brazil, Russia, China, and South Africa.
PM Modi met with the South African President earlier today for bilateral discussions. "They discussed strengthening the India-South Africa partnership in diverse sectors such as boosting business ties, security and people-to-people connect," the PMO added.
The Prime Minister is making his third visit to South Africa. This tour also commemorates the 30th anniversary of India-South Africa diplomatic relations.
There has been conversation of a meeting between the Prime Minister and Chinese President Xi Jinping, but there has been no confirmation. The Prime Minister's schedule, according to Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, is "still being developed."
While heading for the summit, the Prime Minister stated that he believed the meeting would provide a valuable chance for all members to "identify future areas of cooperation." "... BRICS has become a platform for deliberating and discussing issues of concern to the Global South," he remarked.
- With inputs from agencies
