Editorial: Rise of Rishi

The rise of Rishi Sunak, the first Asian and a person of colour to become the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, has understandably generated tremendous excitement in India. He not only has his roots in India — his grandparents migrated from Punjab while his father-in-law is Narayana Murthy, the co-founder of Infosys — but […]

The rise of Rishi Sunak, the first Asian and a person of colour to become the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, has understandably generated tremendous excitement in India. He not only has his roots in India — his grandparents migrated from Punjab while his father-in-law is Narayana Murthy, the co-founder of Infosys — but also wears his Hindu faith on his sleeves. He was the first British MP to have taken oath on Bhagavad Gita and has since spoken about the Hindu values and traditions that guided his life. The unanimous election of Sunak as the leader of the crisis-ridden ruling Conservative party came on Diwali day, enhancing the festivities in India as some media channels described the development as a sign of poetic justice, with screaming headlines like “Indian son rises over the Empire, history comes full circle in Britain.” However, the excitement needs to be tempered by the political realities. After all, one must keep in mind that Sunak belongs to the Conservative Party whose ideas on immigration are anything but palatable for most Indians. Moreover, he is not expected to be any more favourable towards India than what his country’s interests allow. It must be pointed out that India and the UK have been trying to strike a free trade deal, but the talks are reportedly stalled over fears among Sunak’s party leaders that it could lead to more immigration. Though he regularly points to his Hindu upbringing as the son of immigrants, he has not put his heritage at the centre of his political message.

Instead, he focuses on his experience in finance, having served as the Chancellor of Exchequer in the Boris Johnson government. At 42, he is the youngest Prime Minister in recent history but faces the most daunting challenge of steering the country out of the current economic crisis. Sunak’s ascendency must be seen as a celebration of diversity and talent in the multi-ethnic British society and a significant milestone for the Indian diaspora. Britain is home to a vibrant and diverse community of people with roots in India. Over 1.5 million people of Indian descent live in England and Wales, making them the largest ethnic group after white Britons. A twin challenge is before the young leader as he takes over as the UK’s 57th Prime Minister: taming the highest inflation in four decades and uniting the Tory Party. Sunak has been an ardent Brexit supporter, but many believe he is a pragmatic negotiator too. He is on record, saying a trade war with the European union was not in the UK’s interest. Sunak, a Stanford management graduate, is expected to pull Britain back to more mainstream policies and opt for a belt-tightening economic programme after his predecessor Liz Truss’ failed experiment in trickle-down economics, which rattled financial markets and badly damaged Britain’s fiscal reputation.

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