Rishi Sunak’s religious identity under radar as Christian UK gets first Hindu prime minister

Rishi Sunak did not hold back from embracing his roots when he was appointed finance minister of Britain and took an oath by placing his hands on the Bhagavad Gita. According to Sunak, even though he is currently a British citizen, he practises Hinduism. He says his ethnicity is Indian, both religiously and culturally. He earlier proclaimed his Hindu identity with pride.

As Infosys founder Narayana Murthy's son-in-law is all set to become the UK's next prime minister, Sunak’s Hindu identity is now under radar. “A Hindu Prime Minister is now responsible for advising King Charles on appointments to the Church of England. Britain is dead,” said Collin Pruett, Operations Associate at The American Conservative, who thinks “Charles III should depose Parliament”.

It is an important step in Britain's development as a multicultural and multireligious society because Sunak is the first Hindu prime minister of the UK. Sunak is a practising Hindu, despite the fact that he rarely discusses his religion in public.

Also Read: Rishi Sunak proves Winston Churchill's theory on India wrong, and how

As per media reports, Sunak always keeps an Idol of Shri Ganesh on his table. He earlier made an appeal to give up eating beef, and he never has it.

On Diwali, a festival of lights enjoyed by millions of Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains worldwide, he was elected as the next prime minister of the UK. It honours fresh starts, the victory of right over wrong, and the victory of light over darkness.

Also Read: Rishi Sunak’s ‘Coke addiction’: 5 controversies of UK’s new prime minister

With Coca-Cola as his preferred beverage, Sunak might be the first teetotal prime minister of the UK since David Lloyd George. On the occasion of Janmashtami 2022, Sunak visited the Bhaktivedanta Manor temple with his wife Akshata in advance of the popular Hindu festival celebrating Lord Krishna’s birthday.

Sunak will take over as prime minister of the UK just two months after rioting in East Leicester made headlines across the world when a Hindu temple was vandalised and a saffron flag outside of it was torn down by unknown people.

British magazine gal-dem wrote on Twitter, “Rishi Sunak’s undemocratic election as Prime Minister is not a win for diversity, and we’re not celebrating it as one.” One user replied that Idolatry would increase in Britain.

Also Read: EU turns to India amid energy, food crisis as free trade agreement set to become more fruitful than ever

While some people are focusing on Sunak’s religious and ethnic identity, he’ll be expected to steer the UK ahead of the massive economic crisis it has been facing in recent times. The majority of economists welcomed his appointment and hoped that his leadership would usher in a time of comparatively stability, while it is unclear how Sunak will attempt to steer the U.K. through a recession. The British pound had momentarily fallen to a record low versus the dollar under former Prime Minister Liz Truss.