Close X
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
ADVT 
International

New British PM Boris Johnson Has Close Indian Connection

Darpan News Desk IANS, 23 Jul, 2019 09:30 PM

    Set to be the new British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has a close India connection. His estranged wife Marina Wheeler, whom he married in 1993, is half Indian.


    Wheeler is the niece of late editor and writer Khushwant Singh.


    Before they announced their separation last year after 25 years of marriage, Johnson had travelled several times to India with Marina. They have four children together.


    Johnson, who won the race within the Conservative Party to become the country's next Prime Minister, is expected to rely on his declared personal connect with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deliver a "truly special" UK-India relationship.


    In his letter to the Indian diaspora Tory membership base, Johnson wrote that, during his meeting with Modi, he had stressed upon how India and UK were modern democracies and should work together to promote trade and prosperity. Johnson told Modi that the two nations should work closely to tackle the challenges that their countries face.


    The former Mayor of London and former Foreign Secretary, 55, has earlier referred to himself as the son-in-law of India.


    Marina's mother, Dip Singh, who is still alive, was married to Khushwant Singh's youngest brother, Daljit Singh.


    In a column for The Tribune, veteran journalist and Khuswant Singh's son Rahul Singh writes that Johnson visited the Ranthambore tiger reserve along with Marina and three of their children last year. During a family get-together, Rahul Singh got to meet Johnson.


    "Though I had met him once before in Mumbai some years earlier, this was the first time I got a chance to talk to him one-to-one, at some length. I was surprised that he knew so much about India and its politics. Should he become Britain's next PM, I think those Indian insights, thanks mainly due to his 25-years of marriage to Marina, however rocky it may have been, and personal visits to this country, should augur well for better Indo-British ties."


    However, Johnson is known to have made several gaffes, including some related to India.


    When he was Foreign Secretary, Johnson was berated at a Sikh gurdwara for talking about whiskey exports to India - despite alcohol being forbidden in the Sikh faith.


    With a saffron turban on his head, Johnson said in the Bristol gurdwara in 2017: "Whenever we go to India, to Mumbai or to Delhi, we have to bring 'clinkie' in our baggage.


    "We have to bring Johnnie Walker, we have to bring whiskey because as you may know there is duty of 150 per cent in India on imports of Scotch whiskey, so we have to bring it in duty free for our relatives. But imagine what we could do if there was a free trade deal with India - which there will be."


    A woman devotee reportedly angrily told Johnson: "How dare you talk about alcohol in a Sikh temple."


    In November 2014, as London mayor, Johnson suggested that countries that "haven't had the benefit of British rule" are now "less fortunate" - during a discussion on Winston Churchill.


    Johnson explained how he felt that Churchill would have been "very proud" at the "continuing legacy of Britain" in former colonies around the world.


    "He would have been very proud at the continuing legacy of Britain in those places around the world, and particularly I think he would have been amazed at India, the world's largest democracy, and a stark contrast with other less fortunate places that haven't had the benefit of British rule, if I can say this on the record.... why not? It's true, it's true," he said.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    UK-Based Indian Businessman Sues Wife Over Son From Another Man

    A ruling by a British judge has revealed that an Indian origin man, the son of a London-based arms dealer, is suing his estranged wife after learning that he is not the father of their eight-year-old son.

    UK-Based Indian Businessman Sues Wife Over Son From Another Man

    Kamala Harris' Campaign Raises $12M In 2nd Quarter

    US Senator Kamala Harris, riding a wave of support after her performance in the first presidential debate, raised nearly $12 million in the second quarter of the year which ended on June 30, her campaign has announced.

    Kamala Harris' Campaign Raises $12M In 2nd Quarter

    Sharjah Issues First Golden Card Visa To Indian Expat Businessman Lalu Samuel

    Sharjahs first Golden Card visa was issued to an Indian expat businessman, as part of the permanent residency system tailored for investors.

    Sharjah Issues First Golden Card Visa To Indian Expat Businessman Lalu Samuel

    Left Unattended, Pakistan's 'Heaviest' Man Noorul Hassan Dies In Lahore Hospital

    Pakistan's heaviest man, who weighed over 330 kg and recently underwent a successful liposuction surgery, died after he was left unattended due to a commotion in the intensive care unit.  

    Left Unattended, Pakistan's 'Heaviest' Man Noorul Hassan Dies In Lahore Hospital

    Trump Son-In-Law Among Key Leaders To Address India-Focused Meet In US

    The move comes close on the heels of the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Donald Trump in Japan last month.  

    Trump Son-In-Law Among Key Leaders To Address India-Focused Meet In US

    Swraj Paul Donates Million Pounds For London Zoo Reserve In Son Angad Paul's Memory

    Leading British Indian entrepreneur and parliamentarian Lord Swraj Paul has announced 1 million pounds donation to the London Zoo for a major new project that will lead to creation of the Angad Paul African Reserve in memory of his late son.

    Swraj Paul Donates Million Pounds For London Zoo Reserve In Son Angad Paul's Memory