By IANS
New Delhi : It’s official. French President Nicolas Sarkozy will see the Taj Mahal during his India visit this weekend, but without his lady love Carla Bruni on his arm.
Sarkozy, who arrives here early Friday morning on a two-day visit, will be the chief guest at India’s annual Republic Day parade Saturday.
According to the schedule announced here Wednesday, Sarkozy will leave for Agra by a special flight at 12.30 p.m., right after the end of the parade. He will arrive in Agra at 1.40 p.m. to spend an hour at the 17th century monument built by Mughal emperor Shahjehan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.
He will have to rush back to Delhi to take part in the tea hosted by President Pratibha Patil at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
But his hour-long sojourn will be without Bruni, former model and singer seen as soon-to-be first lady of France.
In an interview published in French daily Liberation Tuesday, Bruni said she will not accompany Sarkozy, as she “cannot take part in an official visit with the president”.
She also dismissed rumours of a secret marriage, saying that she was “not married”, but the two of them “plan to”.