Rishi Sunak, the former British Treasury chief who won the race to be leader of the Conservative Party and is likely to become the country’s next prime minister, is getting cheers from an unlikely place: India, its former colony.
As the news became clear yesterday, social media and TV channels in India were awash with comments and reactions to the accomplishment by the 42-year-old who has spoken publicly about his Indian roots and Hindu faith.
For many Indians, who are celebrating Diwali, one of the most important Hindu festivals, it was the moment to say: He is one of our own.
“It is a moment of pride for India that the country which ruled us for many years has now a prime minister of Indian heritage,” said Manoj Garg, a New Delhi businessman.
Sunak will be the first person of color to take Britain’s top job, an accomplishment reflecting that of Kamala Harris, a woman of Indian heritage who became U.S. vice president last year.
Sunak’s grandparents hailed from Punjab state before the Indian subcontinent was divided into two countries – India and Pakistan – in 1947 after British colonial rule ended.
