According to UK media, when British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrives in India later this week for the G20 World Leaders’ Summit, he would be greeted warmly by his relatives in New Delhi.
Sunak’s relatives are throwing a party, and the Daily Telegraph stated that there would be nonstop dancing to Punjabi music and flower bouquets.
Maternal uncle Dr. Gautam Dev Sood, 65, of Punjabi descent, said all family had been invited to the Indian capital to celebrate the visit of the British Prime Minister.
That he is here in his ancestral land is a big honour for us, Sood told the publication.
We can’t discuss the details, but a plan is in place to welcome the (British) prime minister, said Subhash Berry, Sunak’s paternal uncle.
We’re getting ready for a night of nonstop dancing, primarily to the upbeat rhythms of traditional Punjabi music but also, perhaps, to some English melodies.
The publication reports that Sunak is unlikely to show there because of his busy schedule between Friday and Sunday, when he will be attending the G20 conference and participating in bilateral negotiations.
Sunak, now 43 years old, was born in Southampton to Indian immigrants Yashvir and Usha.
His Indian wife, Akshata Murty, is the daughter of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and novelist Sudha Murty, and she will accompany him on his maiden trip to India as Prime Minister.
Murty’s family is predominantly from Karnataka, while Sunak’s are from the northern part of India.
Meanwhile, this weekend’s G20 World Leaders’ Summit has been in full swing of preparations.
It has been reported that Sunak and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have a private meeting in the margins.
In a Cabinet meeting with his top staff at Downing Street this week, the British Indian leader characterised India as a vital partner of the UK across all fields of bilateral cooperation in anticipation of the upcoming visit.
A Downing Street readout of the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday said that he had indicated negotiations surrounding a free trade pact were moving and that he would only agree on a strategy which worked for the rest of the UK.
After returning from a trip to India last month, UK Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch updated the UK Cabinet on the free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations, noting that India is already one of the UK’s largest trading partners, with a relationship worth GBP 36 billion per year.
In a recent joint outcome statement, ministers from both sides said they “took stock of the FTA and agreed ways to progress the negotiations.” The FTA talks have already completed 12 rounds of negotiations.
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