Sheikh Salik
Rishi Sunak
NEW DELHI (AP) — Britain’s next prime minister, Rishi Sunak, embraced his Indian and Hindu heritage — on Monday, Oct. 24, people in the former British colony proudly celebrated his victory.
Indian social media and TV channels are flooded with congratulations to Sunak, 42, who will become the first person of colour to lead Britain. The former finance minister was elected by a ruling Conservative party that desperately needs a pair of safe hands to guide the country through economic and political turmoil.
For many Indians who are celebrating Diwali, one of the most important festivals in Hinduism, here is an example: He is one of our own.
New Delhi businessman Manoj Garg said: “It is a proud moment for India that the country that has ruled us for many years now has a prime minister of Indian heritage.”
Sunak’s grandparents were from Punjab before the subcontinent was divided into India and Pakistan following the end of British rule in 1947. They moved to East Africa in the late 1930s and eventually settled in the UK in the 1960s. Sunak was born in Southampton on the south coast of England in 1980.
His ancestral connection is not his only connection to India. He is married to Akshata Murty, the son of Indian billionaire NR Narayana Murthy, founder of tech giant Infosys.
In April 2022, Murty, who owns less than 1% of Infosys, did not pay UK tax on her overseas income. The practice is legal but looks bad at a time when Sunak is raising taxes for millions of Britons as chancellor.
Sunak’s victory has star-studded Indian TV channels. The bottom of the screen on New Delhi TV read: “Son of India rises to empire.” Meanwhile, India Today news channel lashed out at the UK’s economic and political turmoil, using Hindi to describe people of Indian background: “Abusive The UK got the ‘Desi’ big boss.”
Indians celebrated Kamala Harris’ Indian heritage last year when she became vice president of the United States.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Sunak on Twitter and said he looked forward to “working closely on global issues”.
“Special Diwali hopes to be a ‘living bridge’ for British Indians as we transform our historic relationship into a modern partnership,” Modi wrote.
Some say Sunak’s choice is particularly special for the country, which recently celebrated 75 years of independence from British colonial rule.
“Today, as India celebrates Diwali’s 75th anniversary as an independent nation, the UK welcomes an Indian Prime Minister. History is back to square one,” tweeted lawmaker Raghav Chadha.
Others praised Sunak as a “proud Hindu”, saying he never shied away from embracing his beliefs and Indian culture. They shared a video on Twitter showing Sunak swearing allegiance to the legislator in the Hindu holy book Bhagavad-gita in 2020.
Other videos shared on Twitter showed Sunak praying to a cow considered sacred by Hindus when he first ran for the UK top job in August. During a Hindu ceremony in London, Sunak stroked a cow’s feet while his wife handed it a carrot. Sunak also performed “aarti” – a Hindu ritual that involves waving oil lamps – in front of the cows.
Sunak has been open about his Indian heritage – and his love of cricket. He also talked about his fasting of beef for religious reasons.
“I’m totally British, this is my home and my country, but my heritage is Indian,” he told reporters in 2020.
Associated Press video reporter Shonal Ganguly contributed to this report.
