TeaHere Britain’s ruling Conservative Party has more Muslim MPs than India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Many of these Muslim MPs are of South Asian origin: the contrast between our ruling party and the UK is even more striking.
I hadn’t thought about it until then Boris Johnson was forced to step down The race to succeed him as prime minister began in earnest. I was amazed by the number of non-white claimants and began to wonder: has Britain become a diverse society, where minorities get their share of power? Or is it just that India is a diverse society where minorities are kept away from power?
Both propositions are valid, I think. Think about it, even the United States Democratic Party may have more Muslim members than Muslim lawmakers in Congress. (And Muslims are a much smaller proportion of the population in the US than in India.) Therefore, India is not a great example of a society where power at the center is shared with minorities.
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Britain’s Miscellaneous Candidates
Still, the diversity within Britain’s Conservative Party—especially at the top—appears to be astonishing. as new York Times wrote About the British prime ministerial contenders a few days ago: “Six have recently foreshadowed coming from beyond Europe – India, Iraq, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria and Pakistan. One of the white men is married to a Chinese woman while the other holds a French passport.
since new York Times With those words written, the race has begun to dwindle (and more contenders will be out in the coming weeks) and the two leading Asians have been pushed aside. These include Gujarati Home Secretary Priti Patel and former Health Secretary of Pakistani-Punjabi origin Sajid Javid.
Some of the contenders are famous around the world. Most of us have heard of Rishi Sunak, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer (the equivalent of our Finance Minister). But there are many other Asians that we may not have heard of in India. Suella Braverman was born to a Goan father and a Tamil mother. Rehman Chishti, born in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, is a Conservative MP.
It is not just South Asians who want to be Prime Minister. There are others from minority backgrounds as well: Kemi Badenoch, a former minister, is of Nigerian descent. Nadim Zahavi, who replaced Sunak as chancellor, came to the United Kingdom when he was 11 as a refugee from Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.
So far, South Asian candidates have garnered the most attention, and it’s easy to see why. Sunak, Patel and Javid were among the most high-profile members of Boris Johnson’s cabinet and it is entirely possible that Sunak will be the next prime minister. (It’s still early days because the race may be somewhat different when the views of Conservative members in poetry are taken into account.)
Apart from the obvious differences between India’s ruling party and Britain, what does the diverse nature of race tell us? Well, two things seem clear.
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sign of a mature democracy
The fact is, contrary to what we might think from the outside (especially after Brexit), Britain has actually become more inclusive, less racist and more willing to share power with its minorities. In many countries where South Asians have a share in power (for example Canada), they are valued for their ability to cast ethnic votes. It doesn’t matter that much in the UK. No one promoted Sunak on the grounds that Punjabis would be more likely to vote for Conservatives if one of their members became a minister. Similarly, Priti Patel is not necessarily a big heroine for Gujaratis everywhere.
It is a sign of a mature democracy when politicians are valued for their ability and not their ethnicity. In India, often we do not make appointments on the basis of mere merit, but out of a desire to pacify communities or merely symbolic: a minority minister here or a vice president there.
Secondly, the rise of people like Sunak tells us how South Asians are successful, no matter how hostile the environment is. The families of Sunak and Patel did not come to Britain directly from India. They came via East Africa. Very few South Asians left Africa because they wanted to. They were usually created to drive out the unwanted or actively (for example, by Idi Amin in Uganda in 1972). Most of them came to the UK with nothing.
In his campaign video, Sunak tells the story of his grandmother who came to the UK and struggled to bring up her family and save. One of those family members was his mother, who immigrated to Britain at the age of 15 and studied hard to become a pharmacist. She marries Sunak’s father, a doctor, and the two of them save Rishi, in the manner of all Indian parents, to send Rishi to a good school.
Similarly, Priti Patel’s parents ran a convenience store in Kampala (Uganda) before coming to the UK to run a newspaper shop. She went to a state school (a comprehensive), was not a high-flyer like Sunak (who went to Oxford), but worked hard to establish herself as a successful politician. Sajid Javid (like the current Mayor of London Sadiq Khan), is the son of a Punjabi bus driver who moved to the UK in the 1960s. Javid’s mother did not speak English for at least a decade after coming to Britain. And yet he rose to one of the highest positions in the country.
When we talk about Indian success stories abroad, we usually focus on millionaire businessmen or tech-savvy kids. The UK experience shows us that given equal opportunities, all South Asians, and especially Indian politics, can excel.
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spot talent at home
The lesson for us in India is clear: run a more inclusive society. Do not judge people on the basis of religion or ethnicity. Value individuals for their merit and create greater equality of opportunity.
One of the tragedies of today’s India is that when it comes to politics, we fail to give the kind of opportunities that our people deserve. To get anywhere in politics, you have to be born in the right family or you have to do politics of identity of region, religion or caste.
As the UK experience shows us, our democracy is on the losing side because Indian politics leaves no stone unturned to recognize and encourage the natural talents of our people.
If Sunak’s family had not moved to England and had not moved to India from Africa, what would the sage have attained to the highest rank ever? Chief Economic Adviser, perhaps.
In contrast, in Britain, he is in the race to become Prime Minister.
In all the areas where Indians do better abroad, we can now add politics.
The author is a print and television journalist and talk show host. He tweeted on @virsanghvi. Thoughts are personal.
(Edited by Srinjoy Dey)