Rishi Sunak on Monday scripted history as he became Britain's first Indian-origin Prime Minister, hours after his former boss Boris Johnson quit the Conservative Party leadership race, saying it was "simply not the right time" for his comeback.
Sunak was declared the next leader of Britain’s Conservative Party by the head of the 1922 Committee of Conservative lawmakers on Monday, placing him on course to be the country’s next prime minister. The committee sets the rules for selecting and changing the party’s leader.
Sunak will replace Liz Truss, who served as Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister. He is the third PM of the country in last seven months.
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As Sunak gets elected as the Britain's first Indian-origin Prime Minister tonight itself, here are some facts highlighting his India connection:
Sunak, a devout Hindu former minister, swore his oath of allegiance on being elected MP in the House of Commons on the ‘Bhagavad Gita’. He also found time for ‘darshan' at a temple during the course of the long campaign and had members of the Indian diaspora praying for his success.
His parents, retired doctor Yashvir and pharmacist Usha Sunak, are of Indian descent. The couple migrated from East Africa to the UK in the 1960s.
Rishi Sunak is married to Infosys chief Narayan Murthy's daughter Akshata Murthy. They have two daughters - Krishna and Anoushka.
His vision for India-UK bilateral ties are beyond the opportunity for the UK to sell things in India, wanting Britain to also “learn from India”.
As Chancellor of the Exchequer under Boris Johnson's leadership, Rishi Sunak lit Diwali diyas at his residence on Downing Street.
Like most Indian households, education was a key aspect of parenting in the Sunak household. Rishi Sunak is a Stanford University graduate and a former investment banker.
He often visits Bengaluru with his wife and children to meet his in-laws.
“My father-in-law came from absolutely nothing, just had a dream and a couple of hundred pounds that my mother-in-law's savings provided him, and with that he went on to build one of the world's largest, most respected, most successful companies that by the way employs thousands of people here in the United Kingdom,? he said during one of the early TV debates in a fightback against attacks on his wife's Infosys wealth.
During the campaigning for the PM's post in the summer of 2022, Rishi Sunak faced criticism on various fronts including his lavish house, expensive suits, and shoes. Rishi shared a statement that the Bhagavad Gita often rescues him during stressful situations and reminds him to be dutiful.
