US-based Indian organisation endorses Rishi Sunak for the UK PM race

A US-based Indian organisation that caters to the interests of the Hindu-American community on Monday endorsed former UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak to become Britain's first Indian-origin Prime Minister.

The race to elect a new Conservative Party leader, who will take charge as British Prime Minister early next month, heated up on Monday as the two finalists Sunak and Liz Truss clashed over their proposals to tackle the soaring cost-of-living crisis in the country.

The Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC), an organisation in the US that was founded in 2015 to be the unique bridge between the Hindu-American community and Republican policymakers and leaders, said it supports Sunak to be the next British Prime Minister as he embraces their values and principles.

We endorse Sunak not just because he is a Hindu but like the Republican Hindu Coalition, Sunak fully embraces our core values and its founding principles: The Four F's: Free Enterprise with Limited Smaller Government, Fiscal Discipline, Family Values and Firm Foreign Policy - Sunak is a true champion of the conservative movement, RHC said in a statement.

Supporters of Sunak are urging Conservative Party members, who will be voting in postal and online ballots during the course of this month, to judge the 42-year-old by his record of supporting families through the COVID-19 pandemic crisis as the UK Chancellor.

Rishi Sunak has my and the RHC's full endorsement. As the UK's new PM, Sunak will have extraordinary success. Not only is Sunak good for the United Kingdom but also its strategic allies, the United States and India, said Shalabh Kumar, the founder, chairman and CEO of the organisation.

We encourage all conservatives as well as one billion Hindus all over the world to do their best to provide full support for Rishi's candidacy for Prime Minister of UK, within the limits of British NEC rules, he added.

As a devout Hindu, Sunak is a regular at the temple where he was born in Southampton and became the first Chancellor to light Diwali diyaas outside his office-residence of 11 Downing Street in November 2020.

His daughters, Anoushka and Krishna, are also rooted in the Indian culture and he recently shared how Anoushka performed Kuchipudi with her classmates for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations at Westminster Abbey.

Sunak had to face attacks from his opponents over his record as Chancellor until his resignation in July precipitated the exit of his former boss, caretaker British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.