Rishi Sunak on his arrival at Downing Street this Tuesday
Image: EPA / Andy Rain
Less than twenty years ago, the Conservative Party had only one Asian MP and one black MP. Now Britain has its first Asian head of government. Will Rishi Sunak reverse colonial history?
Ahen it was clear that Britain would have its first Asian Prime Minister, Indian businessman Anand Mahindra recalled inglorious words Churchill is said to have spoken in 1947, when India was on the verge of independence: All Indian politicians would identify themselves as low caliber and as Proving straw men, Mahindra quoted the war premier before exulting that 75 years after independence, a man of Indian descent had been “anointed” as prime minister. “Life is beautiful,” he continued.
However often Churchill expressed concerns about handing over “the hungry millions” to scoundrels and privateers in a tone that would raise an outcry today, this quote is unsupported. However, Mahindra’s tweet reflects a sustained resentment of the colonial hubris Churchill expressed time and time again. The imperial legacy speaks through many reactions from the subcontinent. Here and there there was also talk of history’s revenge and reverse colonization.
