Sunak as UK PM: Anand Mahindra pokes hole in Churchill's 1947 statement, says 'life is beautiful'

Anand Mahindra, the chairman of Mahindra Group Monday quoted a few words of Winston Churchill on Indian leaders to compare how a man of Indian origin will head the UK now.

New Delhi:As Rishi Sunak became the first Indian-origin Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Anand Mahindra, the chairman of Mahindra Group Monday quoted a few words of former British PM Winston Churchill on Indian leaders to compare how a man of Indian origin will head the UK now.

"In 1947 on the cusp of Indian Independence, Winston Churchill supposedly said “…all Indian leaders will be of low calibre & men of straw.” Today, during the 75th year of our Independence, we’re poised to see a man of Indian origin anointed as PM of the UK. Life is beautiful…," Mahindra tweeted shortly after Sunak was confirmed as the next Britain Prime Minister.

The words Anand Mahindra quoted are from Churchill's speech in British Parliament as the Indian Independence Act was debated in the Houses of Commons in June 1947. The terse statement Churchill used to describe Indian leaders was:

“If Independence is granted to India, power will go to the hands of rascals, rogues, freebooters; all Indian leaders will be of low calibre and men of straw. They will have sweet tongues and silly hearts. They will fight amongst themselves for power and India will be lost in political squabbles. A day would come when even air and water would be taxed in India.”

Sunak Monday won the race to be the leader of the Conservative Party and will become Britain’s next prime minister — the third this year, and the youngest in the last 200 years.

Sunak who is of Indian origin will be Britain’s first leader of colour, and faces the task of stabilizing the party and country at a time of economic and political turbulence. His only rival, Penny Mordaunt, conceded and withdrew.

As the leader of the governing party, he will take over as prime minister from Liz Truss, who quit last week after 45 tumultuous days in office. Sunak had been the strong favorite as the governing Conservative Party sought stability at a time of immense economic challenges and after months of chaos that consumed the past two leaders.