Obama Chief Guest at India Republic Day Parade

• Report rights infringement
• published: 26 Jan 2015
• views: 2520

Barack Obama is the first U.S. president to attend India's Republic Day Parade as chief guest as the country showcases its military might. Full Story: Rain failed to dampen excitement around U.S. President Barack Obama's landmark visit to India as thousands of spectators turned out on Monday to watch the country's Republic Day parade at which Obama was chief guest. Obama is the first U.S. president to be guest of honour at India's annual Republic Day parade, a flamboyant display of the South Asian nation's military might and cultural diversity in the heart of the capital, New Delhi. Despite the intermittent rain, large crowds flocked to see the show on Monday morning hoping to catch a glimpse of the U.S. president and his hosts, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Pranab Mukherjee. India won independence from British rule on August 15, 1947, but it was not until January 26, 1950, that the nation declared itself a sovereign republic state with the adoption of its constitution. On that day, Rajendra Prasad, India's first president, unfurled the national flag, and thereafter January 26 became a national holiday, Republic Day. The two-hour parade features troops, rows of tanks, missiles and formations of horses and camels manoeuvring down the wide Rajpath (King's Way) boulevard. Obama sat near Mukherjee as he saluted soldiers at a military parade in the capital New Delhi on Monday. Obama is the first U.S. president to attend the annual Republic Day celebrations, part of a three-day visit that aims to cement ties between the world's two largest democracies. The ceremony featured marching contingents of women soldiers and a woman officer that led the guard of honour that greeted Obama, although India has become notorious for abuses and violence against women. It also included an appearance by female soldiers who took part in an expedition to scale Mount Everest. There were also displays of India's cultural heritage with displays representing different states. Obama's presence at the parade - at Modi's personal invitation - marks the latest upturn in a roller-coaster bilateral relationship that just a year ago was in tatters. Bickering over protectionism culminated in a fiery diplomatic spat in 2013 and the abrupt departure of the U.S. ambassador from New Delhi, who has only just been replaced. The United States views India as a vast market and potential counterweight in Asia to a more assertive China, but has frequently been frustrated with the slow pace of New Delhi's economic reforms and unwillingness to side with Washington in international affairs. Elected last May, Modi has injected a new vitality into the economy and foreign relations and, to Washington's delight, has begun pushing back against China across Asia. The two leaders emerged from talks on Sunday (January 25) with a 10-year framework for defence ties and deals on cooperation that included the joint production of drone aircraft and equipment for Lockheed Martin Corp's C-130 military transport plane. Other deals ranged from an Obama-Modi hotline - India's first at a leadership level - to financing initiatives aimed at helping India use renewable energy to lower carbon intensity. Obama also enjoyed a close friendship with Modi's predecessor Manmohan Singh, who staked his premiership on the controversial nuclear deal that made India the sixth "legitimate" atomic power and marked a high point in Indo-U.S. relations. The deal failed to deliver on a promise of business for U.S. companies because of India's reluctance to shield suppliers from liability, a deviation from international norms that reflects the memory of the Bhopal industrial disaster. For more news and videos visit ☛ http://ntd.tv Follow us on Twitter ☛ http://twitter.com/NTDTelevision Add us on Facebook ☛ http://on.fb.me/s5KV2C