Op-Ed: New UK PM sparks mixed feelings in Lightridge South Asian community

Rishi Sunak, the United Kingdom’s first ever Indian prime minister, was voted into power on October 24, 2022, and everyone’s focus seems to be on the color of his skin. The decision had been controversial for both the general public and within the Indian community at Lightridge High School.

Sunak grew up rich and is one of the wealthiest people in the UK. Sunak pulled a stunt in which his wife pays taxes to India despite residing in the UK. This saves the Sunak family € 20 million a year  in tax money. Sunak plans on raising taxes despite the current cost of living crisis in the UK. This incident shows how out of touch Sunak is with the world around him. He is able to afford taxes, but instead manages to escape his financial responsibilities while charging citizens more money. It is hypocritical and truly depicts the wealth gap in the UK.

The priority and focus for Indians right now seems to be the ethnicity of the prime minister and ‘bragging rights’ rather than his political agenda. The work Sunak plans on implementing will reverse the progress for South Asians living in the UK which would have a ripple effect across the globe since the UK is a world power.

The people praising Sunak are the same ones who will suffer the most with his economic and immigration policies. The economic policies he pushes for will benefit those already rich and his new immigration policies restrict immigration. Those who are proud of his position are now the ones he is moderating in citizenship. 

Perhaps the reason why South Asians are so proud of Sunak, despite his election putting them at more of a disadvantage, is because of the idea of it being revenge.  The colonized are now in charge of the colonizers. 

Lightridge South Asian Student Association president, Devan Patel, had much to say regarding the new prime minister. His sentiments were proud as he described the representation in UK politics. Patel stated that “we can’t really get revenge, [but] it feels good.”

When asked about the new economic and immigration policies, Patel said “politics is a lot of lies and stuff… he [Rishi Sunak] will come to his senses.” 

Vaisnavi Bontapalli, an Indian immigrant at Lightridge High School, has a negative opinion regarding the new UK prime minister. She said that while it was “good representation within the House of Commons,” it is “not a win” because of the immigration policies he would like to put in place. She said that Sunak “used ethnicity as a drawing factor for his campaign,” and that his immigration policy is “surprising because he was an immigrant, and his parents, and his grandparents.” Instead of using his position of power to empower others, Sunak intends on only putting them at more of a disadvantage.

Bontapalli said that South Asian migrants, who tend to be middle and lower class, will be “stuck living paycheck to paycheck versus enjoying their liberties” if Sunak’s new tax policies are implemented. The political agenda of Sunak may not support the South Asian immigrants in the UK; it is like he is “against [his] own people.”

Sunak plans on reducing immigration greatly. He promises to double the number deported. The prime minister intends on deporting individuals for committing minor crimes. Other plans Sunak intends on enacting have been labeled as “cruelty and immorality” by Amnesty International and other human rights organizations. No immigrant is safe.

Lightridge has a strong community of Indian-Americans that share opposing opinions on Rishi Sunak. The new prime minister has announced plans to further disadvantage his people. The same people supporting him are the ones betraying him. Sunak is an Indian man who will counter the political and social advancements of Indian people. Everyone is happy an Indian is in power, but some are struggling to look past the color of Sunak’s skin and focus on his plans for policies that disadvantage South Asians.