Indians overjoyed at Rishi Sunak's appointment as UK prime minister

By Shuriah Niazi

NEW DELHI (AA) – Greetings poured in from throughout Indian society as Rishi Sunak became the first Indian-origin politician to take the oath of office as UK prime minister.

Sunak's parents are of Indian origin, having moved to East Africa from Punjab (present-day Gujranwala, Pakistan) in 1935 and later to the UK in the 1960s. His father practiced general medicine, while his mother ran a pharmacy.

Sunak, 42, is one of the wealthiest people in the UK, with a net worth of more than £700 million ($803 million). His father-in-law Narayana Murthy is an Indian business mogul and the owner of the technology firm Infosys.

He is also the UK's first Hindu prime minister from the Conservative Party. Despite the fact that he is a practicing Hindu and that videos of him praying at temples have been widely circulated on social media in India, he has avoided discussing his religion.

Sunak succeeded Liz Truss, the UK's shortest-serving prime minister, who served for only 44 days.

Indian lawmakers and members of the public expressed their excitement at his appointment on social media.

Sunak was congratulated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a tweet, he stated, “Warmest congratulations @RishiSunak! 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."

- ‘Lesson against majoritarianism’

Opposition Congress party leader Palaniappan Chidambaram took a dig at Modi in a tweet, saying that India should learn a lesson from Sunak’s appointment.

The Modi government is often accused by opposition parties of discriminating against minorities.

“First Kamala Harris, now Rishi Sunak,” said Indian MP Palaniappan Chidambaram on Twitter, referring to the U.S. vice president, who is the daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants. “The people of the U.S. and the U.K have embraced the non-majority citizens of their countries and elected them to high office in government. I think there is a lesson to learned by India and the parties that practise majoritarianism.”

Every Indian should be proud of him, said Akshay Khanna, an executive with a private enterprise in northern Noida, Uttar Pradesh, which borders Delhi. He told Anadolu Agency: "Now the world will acknowledge that Indians deserve to be recognized and that they have the potential to give the world a better place to live."

Ozair Ahmed, an event organizer in Pitampura, Delhi, told Anadolu Agency that Sunak’s appointment shows that Indians are capable of accomplishing any task.

"We've seen how they've taken Silicon Valley in the US. They have the ability to govern the entire world. I hope more Indians were elected to comparable positions in other countries."

"Great News," said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Twitter. "Indians setting their mark all over the globe. My best wishes to Mr @RishiSunak on becoming the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Wishing him wisdom and strength to lead the country successfully."

However, Congress politician Shashi Tharoor, in a tweet prior to Sunak's appointment, said: "If this does happen, I think all of us will have to acknowledge that the Brits have done something very rare in the world, to place a member of a visible minority in the most powerful office. As we Indians celebrate the ascent of @RishiSunak, let’s honestly ask: can it happen here?"

In a statement, his father-in-law, N R Narayana Murthy, wrote on Twitter, “Congratulations to Rishi. We are proud of him and we wish him success. We are confident he will do his best for the people of the United Kingdom."

When asked about Sunak, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi said, "He wishes that a hijab-wearing girl will become India's prime minister in the future."

He was referring to early this year's controversy over the issue of a Muslim girl student wearing s hijab in educational institutions when some Hindus with extremist ideologies tried to stop her on her way to class.