The arrival of Emmanuel Macron to India, as an honorary guest on the eve of the Republic Day, celebrated by the Indian government on 26 of January, has put numerous questions on the mind of analysts and human rights watch professionals, Ednews roports.

How far is France going to go in order to court their Indian ally? Will the questions of religious intolerance and deportation of the prominent French journalist, Vanessa Dougnac, who was critical of the Indian government be aborded? Is France in complete dependance on Indian arms deals and growing international presence?

The answer to all these questions lies within Indian approach to the arrival of the highly awaited guest. It is worth reminding, India’s first choice for the celebratory event was Joe Biden. Yet, the American president refused to appear due to attempted elimination of the Sikh leader on the American soil and the recent murder of another prominent Sikh activist in Canada.

Arrival of Emmanuel Macron puts a limelight on the approaches that French realpolitik takes in order to promote the bilateral relationship. It is abundantly clear that India’s growing diplomatic strength puts the French side on the position of a dependent side that has to choose its words carefully.

"There is a fundamental asymmetry between India and France," says Jean-Joseph Boillot, Iris research associate and India specialist. "France thinks it can establish a balanced partnership, but in reality, it can no longer say anything about human rights, because today, India is the diplomatic giant."

In his interview to the France 24, Mr. Boillot underlined the tense matters between the two countries, including the case of Ms. Dougnac, a French journalist living and writing in India for the past 20 years. According to Jean-Joseph Boillot, the approach taken by the Indian government in regard to Ms. Boillot, that was ordered to be deported two days before Macron’s visit is nothing but “provocative”.