NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leaders and former Union Ministers P. Chidambaram and Shashi Tharoor were virtually rebuffed by the party after they, in their reactions on Rishi Sunak rising to the top UK post, said that India should learn from the country for accepting a member of the minority as Prime Minister.
Congress General Secretary in charge Communications Jairam Ramesh said India does not need to draw any lessons from any other country as many minorities have been elected to highest office here.
"Zakir Hussain first became the President in 1967, then Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed became the President and Dr A.P.J. Kalam and if I keep giving you examples, Barkatullah Khan became Chief Minister and A.R. Antulay also became the Chief Minister," he said.
Chidambaram had tweeted: "First Kamala Harris, now Rishi Sunak. The people of the US and the UK have embraced the non-majority citizens of their countries and elected them to high office in government...I think there is a lesson to be learned by India and the parties that practise majoritarianism."
Tharoor had too tweeted, "If this does happen, I think all of us will have to acknowledge that the Brits have done something very rare in the world, to place a member of a visible minority in the most powerful office. As we Indians celebrate the ascent of @RishiSunak, let's honestly ask: can it happen here?" (IANS)
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