What You Need to Know About Rishi Sunak As Rishi Sunak became the UK Prime Minister, his victory transcended boundaries and has become a matter of great popularity for Indians
By Shrabona Ghosh •
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In the span of a few weeks Britain has seen its many firsts– from former Prime Minister Liz Truss resigning within six weeks in office (the shortest tenure of any PM in Britain) to having an Indian-origin, Hindu Prime Minister.
In 200 years the UK got its youngest Prime Minister in modern history– 42-year-old Rishi Sunak tipped to the top, thanks to the ruling Conservative party that showed confidence in Sunak– a former finance minister. Sunak has gone from MP to Prime Minister in just seven years.
The victory has transcended boundaries and has become a matter of great popularity even for Indians. Sunak is the first practicing Hindu to hold the post in the country.
Congratulating Sunak on his victory, Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared his warmest wishes. He tweeted, "As you become UK PM, I look forward to working closely together on global issues, and implementing Roadmap 2030. Special Diwali wishes to the 'living bridge' of UK Indians, as we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership."
Rishi Sunak is married to Akshata Murthy, the daughter of Infosys co-founder and Indian billionaire NR Narayana Murthy. The couple has two daughters- Anoushka and Krishna.
The Indian-origin politician has often embraced his Hindu roots and took his oath of office as finance minister in 2020 by placing his hands on the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu text. "I am now a citizen of Britain. But my religion is Hindu. My religious and cultural heritage is Indian. I proudly say that I am a Hindu and my identity is also a Hindu" Sunak had said.
As reports quoted, he also stated lighting Diwali oil lamps outside 11 Downing Street in November 2020 as Britain's first Indian-origin finance minister was one of the "proudest moments" of his life.
According to reports, Sunak's grandparents were born in Gujranwala, which is now situated in Pakistan. Sunak's paternal grandfather Ramdas Sunak left Gujranwala to work as a clerk in Nairobi, Kenya in 1935. Sunak's paternal grandmother, Suhag Rani Sunak first moved to Delhi from Gujranwala, along with her mother-in-law, and then went to Kenya in 1937. Ramdas and Suhag Rani had six children—three sons and three daughters. Sunak's grandparents later migrated to the UK in the 1960s. Sunak was born in Southampton in 1980 to Indian parents who had moved to the UK from east Africa. His father was a GP and his mother ran her own pharmacy. The eldest of three children, Sunak was educated at a private boarding school.
Though Rishi Sunak has an Indian-origin and his roots tied to hinduism, it would be a matter of time to understand how he develops the UK-India partnership.
