UK PM Sunak Enjoys ‘Fantastic’ Visit to India, Looks Forward to Meeting Modi
New Delhi: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrived in India on Friday for a three-day visit, his first since becoming prime minister in October last year.
Sunak, who is of Indian origin, said he was “fantastic” to be back in India, a country he loves dearly. He is accompanied by his wife, Akshata Murthy, who is the daughter of Indian billionaire N. R. Narayana Murthy.
Sunak said he was looking forward to meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior officials to discuss ways to strengthen the ties between the UK and India. He also said he was keen to visit one of his favorite restaurants in Bangalore, where he used to spend time with his wife before they had children.
Speaking exclusively to ANI, Rishi Sunak said, “I am a proud Hindu. That’s how I was raised, that’s how I am. Hopefully, I can visit the Mandir while I am here for the next couple of days. We just had Rakshabandhan, so from my sister and my cousin, I have all my Rakhis.”
“I didn’t have time to celebrate Janmashtami. But hopefully, as I said I can make up for that if we visit a Mandir this time,” he added.
He further said that faith is something very important as it gives strength and resilience during stress.
“It is 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 gives you resilience, gives you strength that is important and it provides an outlook on life which I find particularly valuable,” Sunak added.
On being asked about his equation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sunak said, “Yes, and I have enormous respect for Modiji 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.”
“And at forums like this. I’m very keen to support Prime Minister Modi and making sure that this G20 is an enormous success for India which I know it will be and this has been a great year for India more generally,” he added.
Sunak’s visit comes at a time when the UK and India are looking to deepen their economic and strategic partnership. The two countries are also working together on a number of global issues, including climate change and security.
Sunak is expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings with Indian ministers and business leaders during his visit. He is also scheduled to attend the G20 summit in Rome next week.
In a statement, Sunak said: “I am delighted to be visiting India, a country that is both a close friend and a vital economic partner for the UK. I look forward to meeting with Prime Minister Modi and other senior officials to discuss how we can further strengthen our ties and work together to address the challenges of the 21st century.”
Sunak’s visit is seen as a sign of the importance the UK attaches to its relationship with India. The two countries are increasingly seen as natural allies, with shared interests in trade, investment, and security.
The visit is also a personal one for Sunak, who is proud of his Indian heritage. He is expected to use his time in India to reconnect with his roots and to build relationships with Indian leaders.