CNN
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As Rishi Sunak made history this week as Britain’s first Indian Prime Minister, many in the South Asian country were quick to congratulate the new leader – some in the media even claiming he was theirs.
India was once part of a sprawling British empire, and it was often said that the sun would never set on it. But 75 years after the end of the British Raj, many Indian commentators have gleefully noted how times have changed.
“The Indian son rises above the empire. “History comes in full circle in Britain,” said an NDTV headline.
“Age of Empire to Rishi Raj as the altar moves to number 10,” The Times Of India roared.
“India [once] under British rule. “Now, a man of Indian descent has become the British Prime Minister.”
Others were more candid about what they saw in the news as the symbolism behind the appointment of the Altar, which appeared on the Hindu festival of lights, Diwali.
“Another Diwali gift to the country. Rishi from India will rule the whites,” he said.
For some, the appointment of the Altar is the latest in a series of events that highlight the contrasting fate of rising India and the recent economic woes of former colonial monarch Britain.
After Britain’s exit from the European Union, London repeatedly looked to its former colony for a boost; by courting him in search of a free trade agreement and by granting Indian citizens more visas than any other country.
And now, just weeks after the UK ceded the title of the world’s fifth largest economy to India, it’s where London turns to former finance minister Sunak in hopes of repairing the economic carnage wrought by the policies of his short-lived predecessor. Liz Truss, who wrecked the markets and crashed the sterling.
Given the actions of Britain during the colonial period – where Indians were excluded from the best jobs in their home country and barred from many institutions – it is not surprising that there was a sense of Schadenfreude.
But experts say it would be wrong to suggest that this is the only emotion in India. Many in the nation of 1.3 billion see this moment as a reason to celebrate progress in both countries and hope that Sunak will act as a bridge between India and Britain, ushering in a new era of relations.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested this in a tweet welcoming Sunak’s appointment.
“As we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership, he sends special Diwali wishes to the ‘living bridge’ of UK Indians,” the Indian leader said on Twitter on Monday.
Others see Altar’s victory as a reflection of an increasing role in British politics for people of South Asian descent.
“For a long time there was a question whether the UK was ready for Sunak to become Prime Minister,” said Harsh V. Pant, New Delhi-based vice president for research and foreign policy, thanking the Observer Research Foundation.
And the fact that it really is now is a tremendous tribute to British democracy and the role the South Asian diaspora plays in British politics.”
The relationship between Britain and India is complex, given the history of inequality and exploitation during the colonial period.
“Some people are still baffled as to why Rishi Sunak’s race matters. It matters because of the imperial context,” tweeted Sathnam Sanghera, author of “Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain.”
Many Indians have not forgotten the country’s independence in 1947 and the chaos that followed the bloody partition that followed, in which between 500,000 and 2 million people were killed and an estimated 15 million displaced.
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Pant said that until relatively recently it was “unimaginable” for a person of Indian descent to rule Britain, but the appointment of Sunak is the latest proof that the relationship today is “more about the 21st century than the past.” This allowed both to progress much more productively.”
London is increasingly looking to India and its $3 trillion economy for opportunities in the post-Brexit era.
The UK remains one of the biggest investors in India, with British companies employing close to 800,000 people in the country, according to the 2017 report, and politicians in both countries hope economic ties will flourish under the Altar.
Among the top prizes offered is a highly anticipated free trade agreement that aims to triple bilateral trade from $31 billion to $100 billion by 2030.
When Boris Johnson, the then British prime minister, visited India in April, the two leaders agreed to sign this agreement by Diwali. That deadline has been missed, but there is new hope that a deal under the Altar can be resurrected.
“Whether or not Sunak will sign the agreement will be an important determinant,” Pant said. And that is an important benchmark for how far India-UK relations are willing to go.”
As Sunak’s face was plastered in newspapers and television in India, it was more difficult to judge his mood on the pitch. The streets of Delhi were quiet as Indians celebrate Diwali, the most important holiday on the calendar for Hindus, who make up about 80% of the country’s population.
“It’s good to see someone whose family is originally from India gets the best job, and it’s on Diwali, which is like a blessing,” said Rajesh, a chemist in the Indian capital. However, this does not mean that relations between India and the UK will automatically improve,” he said.
For some, his appointment is little more than a foreign news story.
Arjun, a shopkeeper, said that Altar’s appointment “made no difference” to the Indians. “Yes, he is Indian but still from there,” she said.
Others say the significance of Sunak’s appointment is that it underlines the success of the Indian diaspora, particularly in the United Kingdom, where around 7% of the population is of South Asian descent according to the 2011 census.
British Home Secretary Suella Braverman also has Indian roots, while London mayor Sadiq Khan was born into a family of Pakistani workers.
Sunak’s family came to England from East Africa in the 1960s. His mother ran a pharmacy in southern England while his father was a doctor – something Sunak said gave him a desire to serve the public.
Uphill economic battle facing new UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak: Analysts are weighing
15:55
– Source: CNN
“British Indian is what I marked in the census, we have a category for it. I am purely British, this is my home and country but my religious and cultural heritage is Indian, my wife is Indian. I am open to being a Hindu,” Sunak said in an interview with Business Standard in 2015. .
The altar was wrapped in the Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita when he took the parliamentary oath in 2019. A year later, he made history by lighting Diwali candles in front of 11 Downing Street, the official residence of the UK chancellor.
It’s now at the zenith of power, and analysts say it’s the core of the diaspora’s success.
Pant of the Observer Research Foundation added that Sunak’s appointment symbolizes how people of South Asian descent are “cutting out political parties in the UK” and that Sunak will “shape the political trajectory” of the UK.
“I think there’s a certain level of comfort that people of the Indian diaspora have in these democracies,” Pant said. “And this reflects India’s greatest achievement globally.”
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