Ahead of his visit to the G20 Summit in New Delhi, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday asserted he is extremely blessed and hugely proud of his Indian roots and his connections to India. In an exclusive interview with the news agency PTI, Sunak said he got an extremely overwhelming and humbling response from the Indian diaspora after he was appointed as Prime Minister last year.
"I am hugely proud of my Indian roots and my connections to India. As you know, my wife is Indian and being a proud Hindu means I will always have a connection to India and the people of India. The response from the Indian people to my appointment as Prime Minister was overwhelming and humbling," he said when asked how he saw his Indian roots and what kind of emotions he had when he realised that he is considered a poster boy of Indian pride.
Indian diaspora was too much excited after I became PM: Sunak
"One of the first things I did after becoming Prime Minister was to hold a reception for Diwali in Downing Street. Having the opportunity to welcome many British Indians into Number 10 and seeing the building decorated from top to bottom with lights and flowers was an incredibly proud and emotional moment for me," he said.
"Because my story is the story of so many people in Britain with deep and enduring links to India. The strength of our country lies in its diversity, and that's something I have seen first-hand many times since becoming Prime Minister," he added.
Our family discusses cricket so much: Sunak
When asked about his family connection with India and the conversations he has with his in-laws, Sunak opined he always keeps politics away from his family life but added he discusses important issues with them. However, Sunak said his family discuss cricket more often.
"It's very important to keep politics separate from family, but of course, my wife and two daughters very much guide my values, as do my parents and parents-in-law. The most political we tend to get is in our discussion of cricket," he said. I've agreed that my daughters can support India when it comes to cricket, as long as they support England when it comes to football!
"I am, though, incredibly proud of my parents-in-law and what they have achieved - going from nothing to building one of the world's largest and most respected companies, which employs thousands of people in both India and the UK. I want to create and lead a country where anyone can emulate the kind of success that they have had," Sunak said.
"It is wonderful to be able to travel to India for the G20 with Akshata, and hopefully we will get a chance to visit some of the places we went to when we were younger - we'll both be very busy the whole trip though!," added Sunak.
(With inputs from PTI)
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