Can Rishi's Raj Live Up To The Hype And Excitement Of The Desis?

Mr Rishi Sunak¡¯s appointment as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom has thrilled Indians all over the world.

They have flooded the internet with memes and videos, and some people are calling him India¡¯s ¡®Damaad¡¯ (Son-in-law).

Headlines boisterously announced, ¡®Indian son rises over the empire!¡¯ in a cheerful twist to the old and now forgotten saying, ¡®The sun never sets over the British Empire.¡¯

And Amul came out with its usually brilliant topical ad.

Amul

Naturally, in our typical Indian way, all this enthusiasm envelopes a lot of expectations about improved India-UK relations.

Will that happen? Let¡¯s look at the facts.

Rishi Sunak faces many unprecedented problems.

The Bank of England announced last month that the UK economy is in a recession. Rising inflation plus the energy crisis brought on by the Ukraine war and the approaching winter are his immediate and visible challenges.

What is not apparent on the surface is the subtle political game within his party, where he is seen as an outsider who rose too fast, too early.

He is the youngest Prime Minister in two centuries, and has been a Member of Parliament for only seven years. For comparison, Winston Churchill was an MP for a full forty years before he became the PM.

Some also see him as an ¡®immigrant elite¡¯ who has spent a privileged life in the UK, getting expensive education and working in cushy jobs, not to mention marrying a millionaire.

AFP

His family¡¯s wealth, estimated at some ?700 million (At the current rate, 66,12,76,35,000 Rupees) is more than the personal fortune of King Charles!

That made The Washington Post quip, ¡®It would be the first time in history that the residents of Downing Street are richer than those of Buckingham Palace.¡¯

Which makes some wonder if Sunak, used to dealing in huge numbers - at home and at work - first as a hedge fund manager and then as the Chancellor of Exchequer, can understand the problems of the ordinary people, struggling with the rising costs of daily living.

And the opposition is snapping at his heels, demanding fresh elections.

¡°Sunak and his wife sit on a fortune¡­¡± a Labour MP tweeted, ¡°Remember this whenever he talks about making 'tough decisions' that working class people will pay for.¡±

No surprise then, that in his very first public announcement he has said, it is his ¡®utmost priority to bring our party and our country together¡¯ in the face of a ¡®profound economic challenge.¡¯

He has also said, ¡°It is the greatest privilege of my life to be able to serve the party I love, and to be able to give back to the country I owe so much to.¡±

Any hint of an Indian connection in his priorities? Naturally not. And why blame him for that?

Rishi Sunak, I dare say, is as Indian as Boris Johnson is a Russian, just because his name is Boris, the same as Boris Yeltsin, a former President of Russia.

Let alone Rishi, even his parents were not born in India. His mother, Usha Sunak, was born in Tanzania and father Yashvir Sunak was born in Kenya.

Which is why a commentator there has happily declared, ¡°Kenya has conquered the British Empire.¡±

If that makes you laugh, sample this headline from a news channel:

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No prizes for guessing where this channel is located.

And of course, the info below the headline is totally incorrect. His grandfather, Ramdas Sunak, was born in Gujranwala in undivided India and migrated to Nairobi in 1935 - which was a dozen years before Pakistan was born!

And Rishi Sunak was born and brought up in Southampton, England. He has publicly stated that he is a proud Hindu, but that does not mean he¡¯s not British.

Some of us were equally thrilled when Ms Kamala Harris became the Vice President of the US.

Harris is a Baptist Christian and identifies herself as an African American.

If and when she becomes the President of the US, can we expect the two of them to favour India?

They are under intense media scrutiny, especially because they are ¡®first.¡¯

As per the official biography put out by the White House, Kamala Harris is the first woman, the first Black American, and the first South Asian American to be elected Vice President. And according to the BBC, Rishi Sunak is the first British Asian prime minister.

Anyone notice any mention of India anywhere?

AFP

People say Sunak and Harris have visited India, so they will be favourable to us. That belief is childishly simplistic. If every leader visiting every other country had turned favourable, the world would have been a peaceful paradise!

Pervez Musharraf visited India twice. We also took him to the Taj Mahal and to the house in Delhi where he was born. Yes, he was born in Delhi! Did that make him friendly towards India? Wasn¡¯t he the architect of the Kargil war?

We in India overlook it when our leaders extravagantly nurture their constituencies. Some of our politicians have turned it into a fine art, pampering their voters with freebies and favours. They treat their constituencies like kingdoms, even passing down the throne to their descendants. Although it is not so blatant abroad, Sunak and Harris still must respect and honour the feelings and demands of their citizens.

Our fawning and celebrating might impress them, tickle them, and make them happy. They might even turn empathetic and friendly towards India. But will they give up their personal and national interests for India?

How many home-grown Indian politicians would sacrifice their personal and political interests for India?

Then how can we expect foreigners with distant Indian connections to do that?

We are justifiably proud of their Indian roots, perhaps way more than they are, and we wish them all the success, but to expect anything in return would lead to disappointment.

Earlier, talking about bilateral ties, Sunak had said, ¡°We are all very aware of the opportunity for the UK to sell things and do things in India, but actually we need to look at that relationship differently because there is an enormous amount that we here in the UK can learn from India. I want to make sure that it¡¯s easy for our students to also travel to India and learn, that it¡¯s also easy for our companies and Indian companies to work together because it¡¯s not just a one-way relationship¡­¡±

All you visa hopefuls, don¡¯t start packing your bags yet. He is talking about sending UK students here, not about welcoming you there! And he is clear that it¡¯s not a one-way street.

So, it is na?ve to expect Sunak and Harris to do any favours for India just because their ancestors were Indian. In fact, the opposite might be true, for they will want to appear open and fair to their citizens.

As the proverb goes, ¡®Caesar¡¯s wife must be above suspicion,¡¯ which means people under the limelight must not attract negative attention.

And that might force Rishi Sunak and Kamala Harris to be extra careful and even unfairly stubborn, to avoid accusations of favouritism while dealing with India.

Diplomats have often said, ¡®In international relations, there are no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests.¡¯

Allow me to add, ¡®In international relations, there are no uncles, aunties or even in-laws!¡¯

But Rishi Sunak and Kamala Harris have achieved something extraordinary. They have become beacons of hope for the underprivileged and the minorities.

When a little girl sees one of them on television, she will see not the personalities nor their politics, but the possibilities. No matter what her colour or country, they will encourage her to break the gender and race barriers like they have done. That, by itself, is an outstanding achievement.

All the best, Rishi Sunak and Kamala Harris, you have done us Indians proud. Now do what is right, and, borrowing the words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ¡®leave your footprints on the sands of time.¡¯

The writer is a former fighter pilot of the IAF and is now a commercial airline pilot. He is the author of three books and many blog posts, available at www.avinashchikte.com