Moscow, September 3: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is receiving praise for doing Namaste when a Russian official offered a handshake after he landed in Moscow late on Wednesday. Netizens hailed Rajnath Singh for practising social distancing when the world is gripped by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. A video of Rajnath Singh doing Namaste in response to the offer of a handshake is going viral on social media.

Upon landing in Moscow, Singh was received by Major General Bukhteev Yury Nikolaevich. He greeted him with folded hands. As Singh started proceeding,  he was introduced to several other officers and one among them extended his hand for a handshake. In response, Singh greeted him with Namaste and the official quickly pulled his hand back.

Sharing the video of his arrival in Russia, Singh tweeted: "Reached Moscow this evening. Looking forward to my bilateral meeting with the Russian Counterpart General Sergey Shoygu tomorrow." India-China Tensions in Ladakh: Rajnath Singh Not Scheduled to Meet Chinese Counterpart at SCO Defence Ministers Meeting, Say Sources.

Rajnath Singh Does Namaste When Russian Official Offers Handshake:

Singh arrived in Moscow on a three-day visit to Russia to attend a crucial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu on further boosting bilateral defence cooperation. The SCO comprises eight member states -- India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 03, 2020 04:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).