Bhubaneswar: India and the entire world witnessed a historic event on the occasion of Diwali, when Britain got Rishi Sunak as its first Indian-origin Prime Minister. The 42-year-old is the youngest Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK) in over two centuries. He succeeded Liz Truss, who faced a humiliating exit within two months after her tax-cutting plans backfired. Many in India including Odia community in UK welcomed the news of his victory Monday, which also happens to be the Hindu festival of Diwali. OrissaPOST spoke to a section of Odia community and sought their responses to Sunak’s rise.
Bhagyashree Singh, cultural secretary of Odisha Society of UK and member of Conservative Party in London, said, “October 24 was a historic day when on the auspicious occasion of Diwali, Britain declared its first ever non-white, Indian origin British Hindu Prime Minister. It came with great glory especially to the British Indians who constitute 1.4 million population of the UK. She said Sunak was an MP and became more popular in early 2020.” While working as a chancellor during Covid crisis, he introduced a furlough scheme/coronavirus job retention scheme which was made to avoid or defer mass redundancies, company bankruptcies and save people from a huge financial crisis, she added “As a member of conservative party and National Health Services (NHS) member of conservative, I met and witnessed Rishi’s public address and had the chance to interact with him about his plans and ideas for improving healthcare system in the UK. He was phenomenal in his proposed plans and action,” she stated. He carries the best of Indian and British values being extremely hardworking, talented and well behaved modest man, said Bhagyashree. She also added, “UK is going through one of the worst economic crisis and we strongly believe that the new PM will rebuild the economy, restore the trust and build Britain to be the best of the best. We also have hope that Sunak would bridge the gap between India and Britain and strengthen the ties. He is a practising Hindu and a firm believer of Lord Jagannath. So, he believes in giving and doing things for great cause.”
Dr Sahadev Swain, general practitioner, National Health Service, UK, said, “We are very happy with Rishi Sunak as the Prime Minister because he is a confident and consistent politician with track record of managing well in crisis situations. He is the best candidate to lead the country in this crucial financial and economic juncture. We hope that he will bring talent from different factions in his Cabinet and will bring stability in the country.”
Dr Chetan Shatapathy,founder trustee, Shree Jagannatha Society, UK, said, “It’s a very thrilling day for us. Sunak became the first PM from minority section. It’s not just because he is an Indian but also because he is a man of integrity with good track record and his policy helped the country during Covid crisis. His experience in financial sector will help in rise of the country. Chetan hoped that Sunak would take steps to stabilise the economy. “Inflation is at a 40-year high of 10.1 per cent. Mortgage rates for 2-year deals have risen from average of 2.5 per cent to 6.5 per cent over the past month, putting huge pressure on ordinary households. Energy prices (gas and electricity) have doubled since October 1.” All these have added to a ‘cost of living’ crisis for ordinary households, he added.
Sukanta Kumar Sahu, another founding trustee of Shree Jagannatha Society in UK, said that Sunak had the chance to become the PM in August but some circumstances didn’t help. However, this time it was his day. “His selection proves that it’s not skin/colour but capabilities which determine success. We had presented an idol of Lord Jagannath to him in August,” he said. Sukanta hopes that Sunak can fix the economy and the internal rift within the Conservative Party.
Abhipsa Mishra from London said, “It’s an absolute delight to see Rishi Sunak being appointed as UK’s Prime Minister. He is not only one of the youngest serving PM, but also the first British Indian Prime Minister of the UK. An absolute proud moment for everyone of Indian origin.” Stating that his strong finance, economics and politics background would help him in putting forward proposals and implementing measures to strengthen the economy, Abhipsa said he is very much expected to strengthen international relations. “Wishing him all the best for his upcoming works towards a better future for everyone living in the UK,” she concluded.
