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Who Is Rishi Sunak, UK’s First Hindu Prime Minister?

Rishi Sunak

The win for Mr. Rishi Sunak came on a day that Hindus across the world are celebrating the festival of Diwali.

Conservative Party leader and former chief secretary to the Treasury Rishi Sunak, Rishi Sunak has been appointed as Britain’s PM by King Charles III. Sunak will beĀ  UK’s first Indian-origin PM.

Rival candidate Penny Mordaunt pulled out of the race on Monday late evening.

Rishi Sunak, who was running for the post of the UK Prime Minister in August, after former PM Boris Johson stepped down amid a political crisis was seen performing Gau pooja in London with his wife Akshata Murthy.

The videos and photos of the ritual won praise from Hindus living in the UK.

The win for Mr. Rishi Sunak came on a day that Hindus across the world are celebrating the festival of Diwali.

Who Is Rishi Sunak?

Sunak was born in Southampton in 1980 to Indian parents who had moved to the UK from east Africa. His father was a GP and his mother ran her own pharmacy. The eldest of three children.

Sunak is married to Akshata Narayan Murty daughter of Infosys founders Narayan and Sudha Murty. According to reports, Akshata owns a 0.91% stake in the company, worth about Ā£700m.

Political Career: SunakĀ has gone from MP to prime minister in just seven years ā€“ faster than any other PM in the modern era. Sunak scripted history in February 2020 when he was designated as the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which is the most important UK Cabinet post. Sunak became popular during the COVID-19 pandemic for his economic package to support employees and businesses comprising a jobs retention program, which reportedly averted mass unemployment in the UK.

However, Sunakā€™s fame took a hit after the ā€˜partygateā€™ scandal, violating COVID-19 norms and organizing lockdown parties at government offices. This eventually led to a crisis in the Johnson government.

Controversies:

One of the most popular controversies surrounding Sunak has been of his elite background and his wealth. Earlier this year, Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty, appeared on theĀ Sunday TimesĀ Rich List of the UKā€™s 250 wealthiest people ā€“ the newspaper estimated their joint net worth at Ā£730 million ($826 million).

As it emerged that he was the richest MP in Britainā€™s Parliament, also came the news that Akshata held non-domicile status, which means she did not have to pay UK tax on her sizeable international income.

Sunak faced massive backlash after an interview surfaced in which he revealed that he had ā€œno working-class friendsā€.

Sunak was once charged for faking a lower income as part of a publicity hoax to announce a decrease in the price of petrol. The red Kia he filled up in front of the cameras actually belonged to a Sainsbury’s service station employee. Sunak later said that the ā€œmost embarrassing thing” that happened to him was that he had struggled to pay for the petrol in a car that was not his own.

Newly appointed Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has left Buckingham Palace and will soon adress the nation from 10 Downing Street.

 

 

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