Indians regaled this Deepavali with U.K. all set to get Rishi Sunak as the first British-Asian Prime Minister of Indian origin. The Conservative Party has rightly chosen a young, experienced and dynamic leader at a time when country is sailing through rough waters. Moreover, Sunak has a rich experience at his disposal having served as a Finance Minister during Covid 19 times. He is also adept at market and economy of U.K. as an erstwhile banker. The English chose a good PM because they want ‘common good’ for the party and country alike in these tumultuous times. A sagging economy reeling under a record-high inflationary pressure of around 10 percent , citizens demanding tax-cuts, a rising cost of living index & frequent political turmoil definitely calls for stability.
The Tories were facing infighting within the party. The inter-party discord culminated when PM Boris Johnson and Liz Truss had to resignone after another despite the party winning a landslide mandate in general elections of 2019. Though, economic policies are by and large blamed for downturn of these leaders, yet leadership integrity issue also costed them dearly. A Prime Minister who gets fined for breaking lockdown rules and enjoys ‘bring your own booze party’ during lockdown was widely criticized. The governance rules were also compromised when home secretary Braverman resigned after sharing secure info through personal email. This was a blow to PM Lizz Truss.All this demanded call for a new leadership within the Tories. Penny Mordaunt had failed to secure 100 nominations and Boris Johnson had already declined for a second term. In Sunak, they thus foresaw a leader who can provide stability and unity in Britain with support of 120 plus MPs. He rose as the formidable contender for 10 Downing Street.
For Indians, it’s a historic moment because the country that ruled India for almost 190 years on the pretext of ‘civilizing mission’ finally had to rely on an Indian–origin Sunak to set its own house in order. Rudyard Kipling’s theory of ‘White Man’s Burden’ seems to have finally found its graveyard with Sunak’s elevation to the highest public office of U.K. Lord Macaulay had rightly said in his address to British Parliament on 2nd Feb,1835 – “Such wealth I’ve seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such caliber, that I don’t think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage” Kamala Harris had already made Indians proud after being elected as the first American Indian as Vice-President of USA, but Sunak as a P.M. of U.K. will be another feather in India’s cap.
Rishi Sunak is an alumnus of Oxford while he’s also a MBA graduate from Stanford University. Born and brought up in UK’s Southhampton, Rishi’s mother runs a local pharmacy while his father is a NHS practitioner. He was first chosen as M.P. for Richmond in 2015. He is son-in-law of Infosys founder Narayan Murthy and is married to Akshata Murthy who’s still a non-domiciled Indian.
A leader has to be dedicated, just, and virtuous though he may not have been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. With Sunak’s elevation, U.K. has once again proved herself as an open, progressive, liberated and inclusive society to the core. It’s a nation whose ever vivacious democracy thrives on merit cutting across all other distinctions of religion, race, color or caste. No wonders, another Asian origin Labour leader Sadiq Khan is also serving as a mayor of London since 2016. Democracy and justice kindles in giving someone his due. U.K. as a nation strongly upholds this dictum.
Sunak has a formidable challenge of bolstering a sagging economy along with ushering in welfare legislations for workers, servicemen, and trading community. He will also have to resolve the demand for increased NHS spending, Brexit and EU trade agreement among others. Britons will look forward to his upcoming budget as well. Only time will tell if Tory leaders will swim or sink together under Sunak’s stewardship. Let’s hope that conservatives are able to build a Britain in which everyone has the opportunity to make the most of their talents under the leadership of Sunak. We hope he continues the glowing Conservative legacy of Churchill and Thatcher.
Let’s stop dubbing Sunak as a Punjabi or a Hindu, because a PM belongs to all his citizens. Sunak is a representative of modern democracy in true sense. He’s a representative of global citizens as God just created earth, but we humans created nations. Now at least let these nations on earth be ruled under the best, the worthiest and the most deserving men amongst us.
(Author is a writer and poet. He has done BA, B.Com, MA, M.Com, Qualified NET in Sociology and Commerce)
