“The Indian Renaissance in the British Parliament”

the Indian renaissance in the British parliament

“What started with Dadabhai Naoroji in 1892, Finsbury Central, has now completed a full circle with Rishi Sunak filing his nomination for the post of Prime Minister from the Conservative Party. “

• History of Indian Origin Legislators in British Parliament;
• Their contribution in the UK;
• Background story of Rishi Sunak.

NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF ALL INTERVENTIONS

Throughout history, change has been the only constant. In the year 1892, when Indian political figures were trying to find out ways to address their concern to the British authorities, the grand old man of India Dadabhai Naoroji rose to the occasion.

He contested for the house of commons, from the Finsbury Central constituency and won by a narrow margin of 5 votes. His contributions are plenty and his criticism of the economic policies of British authorities needs special mention. For addressing his concern, he relied on the Drain of Wealth theory.

He was the first Asian to become a British member of Parliament. The nation is forever indebted to his contributions. Many others followed the lead and represented high offices in the British government. Some of the renowned names are as follows:

1. Sir Mancherjee M Bhownaggree was elected in 1895 to the House of Commons from the Bethnal Green constituency.
2. Shapurji Saklatvala, yet another Parsi on the list, managed to strike a balance between his nationalist appeal as well as maintaining deep-rooted trade ties with the Empire while being a member of the house of commons.

The tides of time have changed and many Indians have accepted Britain as their home. The new age Indian origin British MP’s are here to contribute to their new home. They are pragmatic, eclectic, and charming. They are here to show the world, how cultural acceptance has become the new norm in these former Colonial powerhouses.

The likes of Priti Patel ( home secretary), Rishi Sunak ( Chancellor of the exchequer), and Suella Braverman ( Attorney General for England and Wales) stand testimony to the fact that nothing is impossible for these Indian Origin heroes. There has been a lot of debate after the exit of Boris Johnson, about the next potential Prime Minister of the UK.

The list is inclined towards Rishi Sunak, who hails from Richmond(York’s) as their representative in the House of Commons.

RISHI SUNAK ( The man in the limelight )

• Born in 1980 to Indian Parents, he is the eldest of three siblings.
• His roots in India are linked to Punjab Province, erstwhile, British India where his grandparents lived.
• He completed his studies at Lincoln College, Oxford (B.A), and later completed his M.B.A from Stanford College.
• After completing the studies he worked for Goldman Sachs and Theleme Partners.
• He Married Akshata Murthy, the daughter of N. Narayan Murthy( Infosys Founder) in 2009.
• He was elected as MP for the Richmond(York’s) constituency at the 2015 general elections.
• After that he has never looked back, with his portfolios ranging from Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Government to Chief Secretary to the Treasury and present-day Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Given the support he has received from the Conservative Party, it would be the right thing to assume that Britain will soon be having its first Indian Origin Prime Minister.

Written by – Shubham Raj for Asiana Times