Rishi
Sunak, the Indian-origin Conservative politician in the race to become the next
prime minister of the United Kingdom, has decided to take a more pro-active
view of India-UK relations if he gets the top job. Speaking at a gathering of
British Indian Conservative members, Sunak said he seeks to make the UK-India relationship
more two-way.

“We are all
very aware of this opportunity for the UK to sell things and do things in
India, but actually we need to look at that relationship differently because
there is an enormous amount that we here in the UK can learn from India,” Sunak
said.

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“I want to
make sure that it’s easy for our students to also travel to India and learn,
that it’s also easy for our companies and Indian companies to work together
because it’s not just a one-way relationship, it’s a two-way relationship, and
that’s the type of change I want to bring to that relationship,” the
42-year-old MP from Yorkshire said.

Closer ties
with India have become critical to UK politics over the years. Current Prime
Minister Boris Johnson too recognised this and is credited today for setting
India-UK relations on the path to a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’. Johnson
has often described Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his ‘khaas dost’ or
special friend.

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Narendra
Modi and Boris Johnson decided on a “quantum leap” in UK-India relations in
2021 and sealed the ‘Enhanced Trade Partnership’ as part of the 2030 UK-India
roadmap. According to the roadmap, India and UK will seek to double bilateral
trade by 2030. India and UK have also been negotiating a free trade policy.

“India is
an incredible rising power in Asia, with one of the fastest-growing economies
in the world – already worth GBP 2.25 trillion – and set to be the world’s
third-largest economy by 2050,” Johnson had once said. Recently, India replaced
UK to become the fifth-largest economy in the world.

The immediate
future of India-UK relations will now depend on the next British PM after Boris
Johnson demits office. The choice for UK Conservatives is between Rishi Sunak
and Liz Truss and the results are scheduled to be declared Monday.