[ad_1]
CNN
–
As Rishi Sunak made history this week by becoming Britain’s first prime minister of Indian descent, many in the South Asian nation were quick to congratulate the new leader – with some in the media even claiming him as their own.
India was once a part of the British Empire that stretched so far across the globe, 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 gleefully point out how times have changed.
“Indian son ascends the empire. History comes full circle in Britain,” says the NDTV headline.
“Sunak ranks number 10 from the age of empire to Rishi Raj,” stated The Times of India.
“There was India [once] Under British rule. Now, a man of Indian origin has become the Prime Minister of England,” said a Zee News anchor.
Others were more muted about what they saw as the symbolism behind Sunak’s appointment, the news of which was revealed on Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.
“Another Diwali gift to the country. A sage of Indian origin to rule the whites,” said Dainik Bhaskar, India’s largest Hindi-language newspaper, with a circulation of about 5 million.
For some, Sunak’s appointment is the latest in a series of events to highlight the contrasting fortunes of emerging India and the recent economic woes of its former colonial ruler, Britain.
In the wake of Britain’s exit from the European Union, London has repeatedly looked to promote its former colony; Seeking free-trade deals and attracting more visas to Indian citizens than any other country.
And now, just weeks after the United Kingdom handed India the title of the world’s fifth-largest economy, it is former finance minister Sunak that London is turning to in hopes of repairing the economic carnage wrought by the policies of his short-lived predecessor. , Liz Truss, which reignited the markets and crashed the pound.
Given Britain’s actions during the colonial period – when Indians were excluded from top jobs in their own country and barred from many institutions – it is perhaps not surprising that there could be a sense of schadenfreude.
But experts say it would be wrong to suggest that this is the only sentiment in India. Many in the nation of 1.3 billion see the moment as a reason to celebrate progress in both countries and hope that Sunak can act as a bridge between India and Britain, ushering in a new era of ties.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested as much in a tweet welcoming Sunak’s appointment.
“Special Diwali wishes to the ‘living bridge’ of UK Indians as we transform our historic relationship into a modern partnership,” the Indian leader tweeted on Monday.
Others see Sunak’s victory as a reflection of the growing role in British politics for people of South Asian descent.
Harsh V, vice president of studies and foreign policy at the New Delhi-based Think Tank Observer Research Foundation. “For a long time, the question was asked whether Britain was ready for Sunak to become prime minister,” Pant said.
“And the fact that it is now, really, is a tremendous tribute to British democracy and to the role that the South Asian diaspora has played in British politics.”
Relations between Britain and India are complicated given the history of inequality and exploitation during the colonial era.
“Some people are still confused as to why Rishi Sunak’s caste matters. It is important because of the context of empire,” tweeted Sathnam Sankhera, author of “Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain”.
Many Indians have not forgotten the chaos that followed the country’s independence in 1947 and the bloody partition that followed, in which between 500,000 and 2 million people were killed and an estimated 15 million displaced.
Who is the next Prime Minister of Britain?
Pant said that until relatively recently it was “unthinkable” for a person of Indian origin to rule Britain, but Sunak’s appointment was the latest piece of evidence that the relationship today is “more in the 21st century than in the past. And it allows both to take it forward more productively.” have found
Economic considerations are at the heart of this more sophisticated relationship, with London increasingly looking to India and its $3 trillion economy for opportunities in the post-Brexit era.
According to a 2017 report, Britain is one of the largest investors in India, with British companies employing nearly 800,000 people in the country, and politicians from both countries hope that economic ties will increase under Sunak.
One of the biggest prizes on offer is the highly anticipated free-trade agreement, which aims to more than triple bilateral trade, from $31 billion to $100 billion by 2030.
The two leaders agreed to sign the agreement by Diwali when then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited India in April. That deadline has been missed but there is renewed hope that the contract could be resurrected under Sunak.
Pant said, “Whether Sunak will sign the deal will be an important marker. “And that is an important measure of how far India-UK relations are willing to go.”
While Sunak’s face has been plastered across newspapers and television in India, it is difficult to judge the mood on the ground. Delhi’s streets are 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 taking a top job and that too on Diwali, which is a blessing,” said Rajesh, a chemist in the Indian capital. “But that doesn’t mean things will automatically improve between India and the UK.”
For some, his appointment is little more than a foreign news story.
Arjun, a shopkeeper, said Sunak’s appointment made no difference to Indians. “Yes, he is Indian but he still belongs there,” he said.
Others say the significance of Sunak’s appointment is that it underlines the success of the Indian diaspora, particularly in the UK, where about 7% of the population is of South Asian origin, according to the 2011 census.
Britain’s Home Secretary Suella Braverman is also of Indian origin, while London Mayor Sadiq Khan was born into a working-class Pakistani family.
Sunak’s parents came to Britain from East Africa in the 1960s. His father was a doctor while his mother ran a pharmacy in southern England – Sunak says he had a desire to do public service.
Economic battle against new UK PM Rishi Sunak: Analysts weigh in
15:55
– Source: CNN
“British Indian is what I tick in the census, we have a category for that. I am thoroughly British, this is my home and my country, but my religious and cultural heritage is Indian, my wife is Indian. In an interview with Business Standard in 2015, Sunak said that I am open about being a Hindu.
When he took his parliamentary oath in 2019, Sunak held the Hindu holy book Bhagavad Gita. He made history a year later when he lit the Diwali candles outside 11 Downing Street, the official residence of the UK Chancellor.
Now he is at the pinnacle of power – and that, analysts say, symbolizes the success of the diaspora.
Pant, of the Observer Research Foundation, said Sunak’s appointment shows how people of South Asian descent “have cut across political parties in the UK,” adding that Sunak will “shape the political trajectory” of Britain.
“I think people of the Indian diaspora have a certain comfort level in this democracy,” Pant said. “And it reflects India’s greatest success globally.”
[ad_2]
Source link
