The new PM of the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak has been receiving accolades from all over the country since he became the first India origin PM of the British-ruled country. Praising his feat as a “major achievement” the former Indian High Commissioner to the UK Ruchi Ghanashyam has said why he deserved to be where he is standing today.
Addressing the achievement by Rishi Sunak, she said, “He is the first Prime Minister of colour in the UK. The UK is a major power. It has been a colonial power as we all know that for him today becoming the Prime Minister is a major achievement of which we can all be proud even though we recognize that he’s the Prime Minister of the UK. He would be working for the interests of his country, which is the United Kingdom. But nevertheless, it is a moment of joy for everyone. And for me, personally, for having known him during my tenure in the UK.”
She also clarified that no matter who comes into power, the relationship between the two nations will always remain strong. “India-UK relations have, I think an imperative which regardless of who comes to power in the UK, the relations will remain strong because the two countries share a global perspective at the moment. On many issues, we have similar views and a good strong relationship between India and the UK. So, as for Rishi Sunak, under him, I foresee further strengthening of our relationship”, she said.
The current economic situation in the UK is also something to worry about due to the Brexit issues. The former high commissioner also focussed on that and said, “The economic situation of the UK is extremely difficult, not only, the economic situation, actually, the issues relating to Brexit have not yet been fully resolved. The issue of Northern Ireland for instance remains unsolved. There is also a disenchantment in Scotland which was more inclined for the UK to remain a part of the EU. So all those challenges are there before him. The UK faces an unprecedented energy crisis and high inflation. And so it is a challenging job that he faces ahead of him.”
She further added, “I think it is a recognition of Rishi Sunak’s intelligence and competence that he received such overwhelming support from the members of Parliament from the Conservative Party and for him to become PM uncontested. So, it is a difficult challenge. Only time will show how well he performs, and how well he’s able to handle those challenges. But we can only wish him all the very best and good luck for this difficult job as he is well versed in the logic of economics and finance.”
The election of an Indian Origin UK PM has been one of the major reasons to rejoice back in India. While many people congratulated Rishi Sunak for his feat as UK Prime Minister, the Indian PM Narendra Modi also congratulated him and said he is looking forward to bettering ties with the country in the coming years.