Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who arrived in Delhi on 8 September to participate in the G20 Leaders’ Summit has talked about his religious identity and his plans to visit the Akshardham temple in the national capital along with his spouse Akshata Murthy who has accompanied him on this crucial visit to India.
He stated, “I’m a proud Hindu, and that’s how I was raised. That’s how I am. Hopefully, I can visit a Mandir while I’m here for the next couple of days. We just had Raksha Bandhan, so from my sister and my cousins, I have all my rakhis, and I didn’t have time to celebrate Janmashtami properly the other day. But hopefully, I said, I can make up for that if we visit a Mandir this time.”
He added that his faith holds a significant position in his life and has proved to be a great source of help. “But it’s something that is important to me. I think faith is something that helps everybody who has faith in their lives, particularly when you have these stressful jobs like I do. Having faith to give you resilience, to give you strength, is important.”
#WATCH | G-20 in India: On his connect with Hinduism, UK PM Rishi Sunak to ANI says, "I'm a proud Hindu, and that's how I was raised. That's how I am. Hopefully, I can visit a Mandir while I'm here for the next couple of days. We just had Raksha Bandhan, so from my sister and my… pic.twitter.com/U5RLdZX3vz
— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023
Notably, PM Rishi Sunak has never been shy of expressing his faith openly in public. He recently attended a Ram Katha recital by spiritual Guru Morari Bapu at Jesus College, University of Cambridge on 15 August. He chanted “Jai Siya Ram” and offered flowers to the Vyas Peeth of Morari Bapu. He highlighted that during the auspicious period of Diwali, he lit diyas at his official address in Downing Street in London, England.
He asserted, “It is truly an honour and pleasure to be here today at Morari Bapu’s Ram Katha at the University of Cambridge on Indian Independence Day. Bapu, I am here today not as a prime minister but as a Hindu. For me, faith is very personal. It guides me in every aspect of my life.”
He further proclaimed, “Being Prime Minister is a great honour, but it is not an easy job. There are difficult decisions to make, hard choices to confront and our faith gives me courage, strength, and resilience to do the best that I can for our country.”
He is a devout Hindu and has taken oath at the House of Commons on Shrimad Bhagavad Gita since 2017 and is regularly seen at religious events as well as temples.
The prime minister accompanied by the First Lady of the United Kingdom was welcomed by Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Ashwini Kumar Choubey at the Palam airport and greeted them with “Jai Siya Ram.” He was also presented Rudraksh, a copy of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita and Hanuman Chalisa by the Union Minister.
#WATCH | G 20 in India | United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak lands in Delhi for the G 20 Summit. pic.twitter.com/ofZW6UEkt4
— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023
The leader of the Conservative Party (UK) lauded India and termed the G20 as a “huge success” for the country and remarked that “India is the right country at the right time to be hosting this.”
G 20 in India | UK PM Rishi Sunak in an interview to ANI, "G20 has been a huge success for India. India is the right country at the right time to be hosting this. Feel we will have a very good couple of days of deliberations and decisions made." pic.twitter.com/d6gx8cMDk1
— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023
The 43-year-old British Indian leader also responded on the critical matter of Khalistan and the violent extremism of separatists in his country. “It’s a really important question and let me just say unequivocally that no form of extremism or violence like that is acceptable in the UK. And that’s why we are working very closely with the Indian government to particularly tackle ‘PKE’ Pro-Khalistan Extremism.”
He assured that such elements won’t be tolerated in the UK. “I don’t think it’s right. Our security Minister recently was just in India talking to his counterparts. We have working groups together to share intelligence and information so that we can root out this kind of violent extremism. It’s not right and I won’t tolerate it in the UK.”
#WATCH | G-20 in India | On the Khalistan issue, United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to ANI says, "It's a really important question and let me just say unequivocally that no form of extremism or violence like that is acceptable in the UK. And that's why we are working very… pic.twitter.com/443p1vz1pS
— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023
The first British Asian PM talked about his love and close connection to India. “It is personally incredibly special for me to be back in India. It’s a country I love dearly, a country where my family are from. But I have come here in this role to represent the UK, to find ways to forge closer links with India and play a part in making sure that India has an incredibly successful G20.”
#WATCH | G 20 in India | On his connect with India and his roots here, UK PM Rishi Sunak says, "…It is personally incredibly special for me to be back in India. It's a country I love dearly, a country where my family are from. But I have come here in this role to represent the… pic.twitter.com/HTH6CBqfIY
— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023
PM Rishi Sunak spoke of their bond and how hard he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are working to secure a trade agreement between their two countries. “I have enormous respect for Modi Ji, and he’s been personally very warm and kind to me. And we’re working very hard, as I said, on our shared ambition of concluding an ambitious and comprehensive trade deal between India and the UK, because both of us think that would be a good thing and both of us need to make sure it works for our two countries.”
He reaffirmed his support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the “enormous success” of the G20 summit. “And at forums like this, I’m very keen to support Prime Minister Modi in making sure that this G 20 is an enormous success for India, which I know it will be.”
#WATCH | G-20 in India: On equation with PM Modi, United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to ANI says, "I have enormous respect for Modi Ji, and he's been personally very warm and kind to me. And we're working very hard, as I said, on our shared ambition of concluding an… pic.twitter.com/1AVOTP6Ows
— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023
The prime minister remarked he was thrilled to be returning to India, “a country that is very near and dear to me,” as he conversed with the media during his flight to New Delhi. He voiced, “It’s obviously special. I saw somewhere that I was referred to as India’s son-in-law, which I hope was meant affectionately.”
He is married to 43-year-old Akshata Narayana Murty who is the daughter of Indian billionaire and co-founder of Infosys N. R. Narayana Murthy and his wife Sudha Murthy who is an Indian educator, author and philanthropist as well as chairperson of the Infosys Foundation.
The G20 Summit is scheduled to take place in New Delhi on September 9 and 10 and is set to be held in the innovative Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan. This significant gathering of world leaders is expected to address various global issues and foster international cooperation. Many world leaders including US President Joe Biden and UK PM Rishi Sunak would also be part of bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
